Sick Snow
by TheAnimeTrain
Summary: Being sick is one thing. Having to fight Neighbors is another. Having to fight Neighbors while sick, now that would suck for anybody. Somehow he gets through it though. His crazy, doting, coddling squad doesn't help his situation either. (Mostly oc centric)
1. Yuki Tsukiko

**Hello one and hello all to my new fic. I don't really have much to say here, but please pay attention to the note under this. Hope you all enjoy.**

 **IMPORTANT NOTE:** For info and descriptions on what the Squad looks like, go to my bio

 **Note:** Pretty oc centric and choppy first chapter. Not happy about it, but I really didn't know how to do this first chapter.

 **Note 2:** I use 'Squad' instead of 'Unit' because I prefer it that way

 **Warning:** Scenes may range from fluffy to shounen ai. Nothing more than that though

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 **Disclaimer: don't own World Trigger (as you will see is a very good thing)**

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 **Chapter 1:** Yuki Tsukiko

* * *

 _In Mikado City, home to 280,000 people, a Gate to another world opened one fateful day._

 _Invaders from another dimension known as Neighbors poured through._

 _ **The city then knew true fear.**_

 _The Neighbors' technology makes them immune to most Earth weapons. Most believed the fall of the city was only a matter of time._

 _But then..._

 _A mysterious group drove off the invaders and delivered a message._

 _"Leave the Neighbors to us. We have long trained for this."_

 _They studied Neighbor technology, and created an organization to defend the world from them._

 _The Border Defense Agency._

 _The group built a tremendous base in a very short time and prepared defenses against the invaders._

 _Four years later..._

 _Though the Gate is still open, and the Neighbors still come through, most of the city's population has chosen to remain. Perhaps due to their faith in Border, the regular explosions and flashes hardly even faze the people living in Mikado City._

* * *

Outside the Forbidden Zone of Mikado City a Border Squad stood atop and around three fallen Marmods. Their expressions carefree or uncaring about the mild destruction around them. They had made it in time to stop the Neighbors from actually killing or taking anyone, but could stop the damage from being made.

"Man, that was a good one. Haven't had a fight like that in a while."

"Yuki-senpai, are you feeling all right?"

"Yeah. Thanks."

"Idiot! How week do you think Yuki is!?"

 _"Calm down now. You guys did well and your teamwork is growing. I'm sure you'll all make it to A-Rank in no time."_

"With a leader like Yuki, of course we'll be A-Rank in no time!"

"It's because of our teamwork, Toby-kun." Yuki looked at Toby, his squad's Attacker, with a sheepish expression. He had known that his friend would say something like that, but still felt bashful about it.

"Anyways...Don't you guys find it kind of weird that there has been this many Gates opening up outside of the Forbidden Zone?" the only girl there asked as he put away her Lightning.

"I had asked some of the A-Rank agents about it, but they weren't really sure themselves," Yuki said as he got a thoughtful expression. "Maybe Jin-san or Amo-san would know."

"Well they better figure it out soon! This is the fourth time this has happened! Yuki shouldn't have to use his off time for something like this!" Toby exclaimed as he kicked the Marmod that Takeshi (the squad's Shooter) was sitting on.

"Must you be so loud? We already know that Yuki-senpai has better stuff to do than this," Takeshi said as he jumped down from the Neighbor.

"It's not my fault that HQ isn't working faster. I mean, seriously, don't they know how fragile Yuki is? He already does more than enough when he's on duty, they shouldn't make him do extra when he's off the clock."

"They are trying their hardest, I'm sure. But, I do agree they should hurry up before Yuki-senpai's delicate body gives out."

The other two looked on as the Attack and Shooter's 'argument' went on. While one watched with a smile and a sweat-drop, the other watched with an irritated expression. They both knew this 'argument' was pointless and almost a daily thing, but they also knew they couldn't really do much about it.

Misaki, the squad's female Sniper, sighed as she shook her head. Quickly getting tired of the 'argument,' she turned to her captain and asked, "Can I just bash their heads in? We both know this will go on for the rest of the day."

 _"You should let her. It makes things easier for us all,"_ their Operator, Mei, agreed.

"Honestly, don't you find it a little insulting that they're saying you're basically so weak that you need protection?"

"It's fine. Those two don't mean any harm," Yuki said with a kind smile.

"Honestly, don't you have any pride as a man? I mean, you are the between the four of us and they treat you as if you are a kid." Misaki saw the same smile still on his face as if he was fine with all of this. She let out another sigh. "Honestly, you're too nice most of the times, Yuki-san."

"Now that I think about it, we haven't reported back to HQ yet, right?" Takeshi asked, leaving his 'argument' with Toby.

 _"It's fine. While you all were talking, I took the liberty to contact Headquarters. They said you were all free to go. I still have some work to do, so I'll be staying over here."_

"Try not to go overboard, Mei-chan," Yuki said with a worried tone.

 _"I should be telling_ you _that, Yuki-kun. Either way, don't worry. I promised someone that I'd treat them later on. I'll see you guys later. Bye."_

"Ten bucks says that someone is either Yoneya or Ken-kun," Misaki huffed as she turned off her Trigger and flipped her hair.

"Maybe it's both. She's on really good term with both squads, so it wouldn't be surprising if both teams actually went along," Toby said as he fixed the gray trapper hat on his head.

"Says the one who always tries to invite the Suwa, Kuruma and Kako Squads for lunch every week." Takeshi ignored the insult he got and used his gray scarf to shield himself from the breeze that passed by.

Yuki gave a small chuckle as the squad coninued to walk away. He enjoyed being around them when he was able to leave his house. He never felt any malice coming from them when they talked about him and was always proud of their teamwork and individual abilities.

He could easily remember when he had met all of them and let out a content sigh at the fond memories. They had always taken care of him when he wasn't able to do much and he always cared about their well-bings when they were having their own troubles.

'They're always entertaining to be around.'

* * *

It was the beginning of the day and Yuki couldn't help but be happy that he was feeling well enough to go out instead of staying in bed and feeling like crap. He let out a silent sigh as he walked through the street and received multiple greetings from the other people out. Being the kind person he was, he gladly returned all of them.

"It's nice to be out. But it looks like everyone's worrying again."

"That's not too shocking. You are quite popular for being a Border agent and just for being so kind."

Yuki turned to see Mei walking next to him as she gave her own greetings to some people. She gave a proper greeting to him as well. They walked through their neighborhood with no particular place in mind.

While he got entertainment from the other three field agents in his squad, he enjoyed the calming nature of their operator from time to time. She was only a year older than him and was grateful for all the help he had received from her before.

"So, did you hear the rumor going around?"

"You know those things get out of hand. I don't like to keep track of them."

"Well, apparently, there was another attack yesterday. This time it was a middle school and a _C-Rank_ agent took down _two_ Marmods. Not only that, but Kitora-chan also took down some kind of new Neighbor. I guess that's to be expected of an A-Rank agent though."

"That really is amazing. I know how strong Kitora is, so that isn't really shocking, but a C-Rank agent beating two Marmods is quite amazing as well."

"Oh yeah. Jin-san was also at HQ yesterday." Mei let out a huff and stuck her nose in the air. "He's the same as always. Not only that, but he didn't even greet me."

"He probably didn't mean anything by it. He was probably headed to see Shinoda-san and the other directors," Yuki said with a sweat-drop. "Maybe we could all drop by Tamakoma later on. I'm sure Kirin-chan would like to talk to you and Suzu-chan."

"Alright, but I'm not going to speak to Jin-san until he greets me properly."

"Heh heh heh...Yeah..."

"Kyaa! What is that thing!?"

"I don't know, but it looks weird!"

Yuki and Mei looked at each other before making their way over to where they heard the scream. When they got their they saw a group gathered around something in one of the area's parks.

After showing themselves, the crowed quickly moved out of the way to allow the two to get through. What they saw had them confused. It was a small six-legged robot looking creature.

Just as Yuki was going to grab it, the robot-like creature backed away and a Gate started to open above it. Before it could fully form though, the creature was stabbed fell to the ground.

At that time, a voice came through to Yuki that said, _"Attention, all Border agents! There has been an infestation of a new kind of Neighbor! You are all to find every one of these new Neighbors and destroy them!"_

The a man appeared on most if the crowd's phones. He held up a picture of the creature and said, _"Border has found the reason for the Gates opening in the city. These small Neighbors. Border is exterminating them right now. If you see one, contact Border at once!"_

"So that's how it is...Looks like we're gonna be busy today." Yuki turned towards the whispering crowd behind him and clapped his hands. "Alright, everyone! As Director Netsuki had just said on your phones, if you find any more of these small Neighbors, contact a Border agent and someone will be there as quickly as they can! I will be leaving to help the search, but will make sure to get rid of any in this area!"

The crowd started to disperse as Yuki let out a small sigh and turned to Mei. He gave a small smile and a mock salute. He quickly left to search for any of the new Neighbors.

'Poor guy. He never really gets a break, does he?'

* * *

"Looks like we've got them all. Man, that was a good workout. I'm glad I was feeling well enough to do this," Yuki said as stretched his arms.

After searching the whole day, all the small Neighbors were delt with and every agent was now relaxing from the long search. They had gotten some help her end there from civilians which did make things easier for them, but it was still difficult to find all of them.

Yuki himself had met up with his squad a little after the announcement and had quickly disposed of a number of the small Neighbors. While Yuki was enjoying himself, his squad and every agent that knew him (which was a lot) bother to ask if he was alright while still trying to find the Neighbors. This slightly bugged him, but he let it go.

"At least we can all take a break now. Maybe I could go get some ramen later on."

"Because there's someone you want to help?"

Yuki looked over and saw a familiar 'S-Rank Elite Agent' talking with another C-Rank agent with glasses, a young looking boy with white hair and some sort of machine-like thing. Deciding that he should go over and greet the S-Rank agent, Yuki started to make his way over.

"Jin-san, hello!"

The four turned to see Yuki walking up to them. The one with glasses started to freak out a little bit while the machine-like thing started to move behind the white haired kid.

"Oh, hey, Yuki. Are you feeling well enough to be out right now?" 'Jin-san' said with less worry and more curiosity in his voice.

"Yes. I am feeling quite fine right now."

"Must suck that you had to search with us when you finally feel alright."

"Not really. I like helping out, so this is no problem for me. By the way..." Yuki trailed off as he looked at the two behind Jin with a curious expression.

"Oh, right. Yuki, these three are Mikumo Osamu and Kuga Yuma. The one behind Yuma is Replica-sensei." Jin noticed the shocked and questioning looks he got from the two behind him and turned to them. "Guys, this is Tsukiko Yuki. Don't worry, he's really nice and has no bias to pretty much anything new to him."

"Hello, Mikumo-san, Kuga-san, Replica-sensei," Yuki said with a low bow.

"H-hello," the one in the glasses said with his own bow.

"Hello. You can just call me Yuma," the white haired one said with a smaller bow.

"Hello. I am Yuma's chaperone," the black machine-like thing said as he came out from behind Yuma's back.

"So, Jin-san, we're you the one to figure out that these things were the cause of the Gates?" Yuki asked, turning back to the Elite Agent.

"Nope. It was Megane-kun here. He's a C-Rank rookie right now, but he'll probably be moved up to B-Rank like you after this," Jin said as he put a hand on Osamu's shoulder.

"Really? Then if you need anything, you can just ask, Mikumo-kun. I'm always happy to help," Yuki said with a smile.

"Hey, he's like you then, Osamu. Both of you are people who can't help but to...help."

"Speaking of getting a promotion, when are you gonna join the A-Ranks?"

"Huh? Is Tsukiko-senpai really that strong?" Osamu asked with wide eyes.

"Not really. People always say that, but I'm not really that strong. Oh, and you don't have to be so formal. You can just call me Yuki, if you'd like," the B-Rank agent said with a bashful expression.

"Always the modest type, huh?" Jin put an arm around Yuki's shoulder and started talking to the other three again. "This guy is crazy strong, when he wants to be. He could easily be an A-Rank and go toe-to-toe with Kitora. He doesn't take any offers though because he wants to go to A-Rank with his whole squad."

"J-Jin-san, you're o-over exaggerating! I would quickly lose to Kitora if I fought against her! And I don't take offers because I know I'm not strong enough to be A-Rank."

"Well, Kuga? Which one is telling the truth?" Osamu asked, looking down at Yuma.

"Hm...Both of them are telling the truth, but...I think I'll believe Jin-san more. This guy does seem to be pretty strong," Yuma said with his usual duck face.

"See what you caused, Jin-sa~n!? First you don't greet Mei-chan properly, and now you're teasing me like this!"

"Huh? Mei-chan? I didn't even see her yet. Well anyways, you should probably be getting back to your squad before they start harassing the other agents for information on where you are."

"I guess you're right." Yuki faced the other three again. "It was a pleasure to meet you all. If you need anything, don't be hesitant to ask me. Goodbye."

"Bye!"

Yuki took his leave and left the four alone again. When he was far enough to where they couldn't see him, Osamu turned to Jin with a questioning look.

"Jin-san, is Tsukiko-senpai really that strong? Can he really go toe-to-toe with Kitora?"

"I'm interested in that too," Yuma said, also looking at the taller male.

"Mmmm~~~...Yeah. If he were to actually try hard, he could probably beat her. Not only that, he gets along well with almost everyone he meets. Even the people that don't really care for his company get worried about him and ask if his squad if he is alright. In truth, he's more like Border's kid that you just can't help but spoil."

"That's some strong power he has."

"Okay, I get that, but what did you mean by 'even the people that don't really care for his company get worried about him'? Is there something wrong with him?" Osamu asked with his own worried expression.

"Ah, about that...He has a sickness. He's been able to keep it at bay for the most part, but he can catch a simple sickness easily and vaccines aren't much use for him. Everyone's usually worried about him and some even want him to quit Border, but he refuses and still goes on."

'Wow...And he's a B-Rank. That's true dedication.'

* * *

"Xyz!"

"Synchro."

"Honestly, you young ones don't know anything. Fusion was the start of it all."

 _"Should you guys really be talking about card games when you're suppose to be destroying a Neighbor? You should pay more attention."_

"This doesn't concern you, so stay out of it."

"She's right though. We need to get this over with now."

 **BOOM!**

"Looks like someone else was fighting not too far from here."

"Wonder who it was."

 _"That doesn't matter right now. What matters is that this Neighbor is one we haven't seen before. Not to mention that it's a flippin' giant!"_

"Well, _maybe_ , if you shoot the damn thing already, we wouldn't still be fighting it!"

Yuki couldn't help but let out a sigh as he, Toby and Takeshi dodged another attack from the giant Neighbor. They had barely started the fight and were trying to contain as much damage as they could.

Deciding they had spent enough time on this, Yuki faced the palm of his hand on the ground and a blue square appeared. He quickly went on it and was shot up into the air. A small blade appeared in his hand and he tried to slash at it.

The bit managed to get the Neighbors attention as it quickly turned to him and readied another attack. Before it could land though, Yuki was caught in mid-air by Takeshi as something sped towards the Neighbor and destroyed the 'eye'.

When the two landed on the ground, Yuki was quickly flocked by the other three.

"Are you crazy!? What if that thing had landed that hit!? What if you missed!?"

"I would rather you _not_ worry us to the point of us having to save you, Senpai."

"Thanks for the diversion, but you should really be more careful."

Yuki continued to get scolded by his squad for a good two minutes before they finally settled down. He was glad they cared, but he just wished they didn't care too much.

"Mei-chan, did you tell Headquarters were we able to defeat the Neighbor? As you can tell, I was a little busy."

 _"Yeah. I reported everything. By the way, Yuki-kun, Director Shinoda said he wanted to see you."_

"Oh, oh, oh! Maybe it's to promote you! He finally sees how strong you are and is ready to make you an A-Rank! I say we celebrate!"

Yuki, Takeshi and Misaki just stared at their fourth member as he got excited from his own thoughts. They didn't feel like wrecking his little fantasy land, so they just went with it. Even Takeshi, who was always ready to pop the other's bubble, felt sorry for the boy.

 _"You can't really blame him. None of you have told him that Yuki-kun has been rejecting all the offers so far."_

"We know," the three said simultaneously.

"We all _hope_ it's for that, but it doesn't really matter since Yuki-san will probably reject again," Misaki said as she flipped her hair.

"Either way, it must be pretty important if Director Shinoda wants to see him."

 _"Maybe he's gonna let Yuki-kun go."_

"Like hell he would! If you say that again, I'll give you a good punch!"

Yuki couldn't help the chuckle that came out when he heard the rest of his squad threaten their operator.

He was also wondering what he was needed for, but highly doubted it was to let him go from Border. If he had to guess, he would say it was try and promote him to A-Rank, but as Misaki had pointed out, he would reject again.

'Still, something like that isn't what I should be thinking about...'

Before he could finish his though, Yuki started violently coughing. He continued to cough until he was on his knees and covering his mouth.

All of this caught everyone else's attention as they quickly went to their captain. They tried to sooth him by rubbing circles on his back even asked if they needed to take him to the hospital.

After about two minutes, he finally stopped coughing and was now sweating and panting. There were a few coughs here and there, but it didn't lead to anything else.

"Captain, are you okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine. I'll go over to Headquarters and take my pills."

 _"I can tell Director Shinoda. I'm sure he'll understand if you need to see him later."_

"It's fine. When I'm done there, I'll just go home and get some rest. I should be better by tomorrow," Yuki said as he tried to stand up.

"At least let us help you there," Takeshi said as he put Yuki's arm around his shoulder.

"Alright. Thank you. Sorry about this, by the way."

"It's fine. You're our captain and friend after all," the three said in unison.

* * *

 **QOTC:** What do you think of each oc? (This question will be a reoccurring one throughout the fic)

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 **And there was the first chapter. I hope you all enjoyed. If you didn't, that's fine as well. Now some trivia for you all! This chapter was suppose to revolve around the whole squad, but ended up being more on Yuki. I'm fine with both, but I'll try and get some good chapter out with the whole squad as the main focus.**


	2. Tsukiko Squad

**And here's number 2 for you all! I hope you all enjoy and continue reading later chapters! Now let's start this!**

 **Note:** When Toby is talking and there are () it means he's speaking in English

 **Disclaimer: Don't own World Trigger**

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 **Chapter 2:** Tsukiko Squad

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"Will you be fine by yourself?" Misaki asked as the squad stood in the border Headquarters.

They had just made it there and were waiting for HQ Director Shinoda. They stopped at a vending machine to get Yuki a water bottle. They had decided to meet up after the small meeting, but that was easier said than done since Toby and Takeshi didn't want to leave their leader's side.

"Yeah. I'll see you guys later. I'll buy us all lunch later," Yuki said as he waved at them.

"Alright. See ya, Captain."

When the rest of the squad was gone, Yuki pulled out a small case from his pocket. He opened the lid and took out two decent sized pills. He looked at them with disdain, but opened the bottle to swallow them anyways. He put the pills in his mouth, drank some water and swallowed the pills with a disgusted expression.

"I know they're suppose to help me, but why are they so big...?"

"Those pills still too large to swallow easily?"

Yuki looked over to see Director Shinoda walking up to him with a kind smile on his face. The smile quickly became worried look though.

"Takaoto told me about your coughing fit earlier. Are you all right? We could have spoken at another time."

"No, no. I'm fine. Thank you for worrying about me though, Director," Yuki said with a small bow.

"No need to be so formal. Why don't we go for a snack. My treat."

Having no reason to object, Yuki followed the Director. Even if he had made plan for lunch with his squad, he didn't want to seem rude, so he took it as it was. He also wanted to get rid of the foul taste left in his mouth from the pills.

As they walked, Yuki couldn't help but think about what the man next to him wanted to talk about. They have had regular conversations before, but this one seemed odd since he was called by the older male instead of them just meeting randomly.

"Um...Sir...Would this have anything to do with a promotion?" Yuki asked, not being able to keep it in any more.

"Partly. But, we'll save that for later. I was want to have a normal conversation and ask you some stuff."

"Oh. Okay."

After the two had gotten what they wanted, they found a seat with the director having a small snack and Yuki have a full bowl of ice-cream in front of him. The younger of the two quickly thanked the older one and dug into the dessert with a happy expression.

"Are you sure you didn't want any food?" Shinoda asked as he munched on his own snack.

"Well, I had actually planned on meeting up with my squad later on and getting something to eat, but I couldn't resist getting some ice-cream," Yuki said before putting more in his mouth and savor the flavor. "Take-kun and Toby-kun are always worried that if I eat too much ice-cream that it will wreck my health beyond repair, so I have too eat the stuff when they're not around. Mmm~~~ So good!"

"Heh heh heh. I can see their point. You eat it so quickly that I'm shocked you don't get a brain freeze."

"I don't really get it either, but I'm not complaining. So, Sir, are you on break, or something?"

"Yeah. I need to go back and discuss some stuff with the others afterwards."

"Sorry that I'm using up your break then."

"It's fine. I'm the one who called you over. Besides, you're the one who has to use his off time to dispose of Neighbors."

"Still, I'm sure you need as much rest as you can get to handle the city's defenses and for dealing with people like Director Netsuki. I feel bad that he's basically trying trying to make Chano-chan's squad into another Arashiyama Squad..." Yuki thought about what he said for a second and got a little panicked. "Ah! That's not to say there's anything wrong with Arashiyama-san's squad, or anything!"

"Hahaha! It's fine. I know you don't mean any harm to either squad. And I understand what you're saying, but he's just doing it to improve our publicity. You shouldn't think too badly about him."

"I know, but still..."

Shinoda gave a fond smile as he remembered when he had first met Yuki and when the younger one had first entered Border. He glad to see how much he had changed and cared about other agents.

While at the same time, he couldn't help but to do exactly what every other person that knew Yuki does when they talk to him.

"You may have grown quite a bit, but you still resemble an adorable child when you pout."

Tease him mercilessly.

"Wh-what!? I don't p-pout! And I don't look l-like a child!"

"The blushing and stuttering doesn't really help your argument."

"I'm not b-blushing! And I'm not s-stuttering! You are just like Jin-san! Both of you just tease me for no reason! Tora-san is a meanie!" Yuki said as he crossed his arms. After a few seconds, he noticed what he said and looked at Shinoda with an even more panicked expression than before. "I-I'm sorry I said that! I'm s-sorry I called you that! I'm so sorry!"

"Hahaha! It's fine." Shinoda's expression went from a happy and fond one to a more serious one. "I'm glad to know you're fine, but... I think it's about time for your answer."

Yuki frowned at looked down at hearing this. He had planned on using up the rest of Shinoda's break so he could get out of this, but knew it wouldn't work. Throughout their whole conversation, he had been thinking about his answer for the question he had been asked since he first rejected the offer.

Even before that, when he watched his squad training and he could only sit by because they would be too worried, he was thinking about the answer. He knew it's what everyone wanted for him, and heck even he wanted it, but he still couldn't fully take on the responsibility.

"It's not just me and your squad. Arashiyama Squad, Kazama Squad, Kako Squad, Kusakabe Squad and multiple B-Rank squads are vouching for you. Not only that, some of the Miwa Squad and all of the Tamakoma Branch are waiting for you to be A-Rank. I know you want to make it to A-Rank with your whole squad, but it's been a year since you were fully qualified and we all think it's time you took up the offer."

Yuki's face was shadowed by his hair as he said, "Why do they care this much if I become an A-Rank or stay a B-Rank?" He looked up with a pained expression on his face that made Shinoda feel bad for causing. "I don't see how much would change if I went up in rank. Is it because they don't want me in the B-Rank Wars? Or is it something like they want someone too look up to or for the C-Rank agents to look up to? I can be a B-Rank and not participate in the wars, and I don't need to be an A-Rank for someone to look up to me."

"It's because they all consider you their friend and want you to get what you deserve for your hard work and kindness. While you worry and help others, they worry and help you."

"..."

"..."

Yuki looked down again and thought about it again. He thought about all his friends and their want for him to be A-Rank. He felt like if he didn't take the offer, it would be like spitting on their thoughtfulness of him. Letting out a small sigh. He looked back up at Shinoda with uncertain eyes.

"Alright. I'll take the promotion this time."

Shinoda went a little wide eyed at this. He thought it would take more to get Yuki to agree, so he was curious about it as well. He knew that everyone would be happy and congratulate him, but he also knew that Yuki wouldn't be 100% happy for it.

"Not that I'm not glad, but may I ask what made you change your mind?" He figured it was what he had said, but couldn't be too sure.

"I changed my mind because...I want them to know what it's like to have an emblem...Even for a little bit."

"'For a little bit'? What do you mean?"

"I will only take the promotion on one condition."

* * *

"Girigiri."

"Ashita no Hikari."

"Dream Trigger."

"The three of you are dumb. Why do you get into arguments over the stupidest things?"

Border Agents who were simply passing by went around a specific area. They already knew not to get within 5 feet of the squad when they got into one of their arguments.

Meanwhile, the Tsukiko Squad was busy fighting over with song was better with their operator just watched with boredom. They didn't bother to keep their voices down and ended up in a yelling match.

"Hey, idiots, are you going with me and Yuki-kun later?"

"What!? Where are you going with Yuki!?"

"Why didn't you tell us sooner that you and Senpai were going somewhere?"

Mei couldn't help but smirk when she saw the two males' reactions. She knew she would enjoy their reactions, but was more satisfied than she thought. While the two continued to try and get her to talk, she simply looked away.

"Well if it isn't the Tsukiko Squad. You guys really don't know how to keep your voices down, do you?"

The whole squad turned to see Suwa Squad walking up to them.

"Hey, Suwa-san. Do you guys have that much relaxation time?" Mei asked, making the blond scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"Hey, Hisato-kyun~~ You know, you look kinda hot in your uniform~~" Misaki said as she grabbed the boy's arm and put it between her breasts.

The reaction was just what she wanted with the Attacker's face being covered in red and incoherent words spewing from his mouth. She had always done this with innocent looking agents, but her favorite was Hisato. The poor guy.

Meanwhile, Toby was busy trying to intimidate the two Gunners and get them to fight him. He had lost to them multiple times, but never stopped bugging them. Of course this applied to a multitude of other squads.

Mei was just having an Operator Conversation on the side while Takeshi watched with a bored look.

None of them noticed the pitying looks Suwa Squad got from other agents or the giggling and chuckling from other agents. They also didn't notice a certain someone walking up to them.

"Suzu-chan, stop harassing Hisato-kun. Toby-kun, stop bugging Suwa-san and Tsutsumi-san. Take-kun, stop looking on as if you don't care. Mei-chan, you're suppose to control them while I'm gone."

The two squads looked over to see Yuki walking up to them. While Suwa Squad was happy for being saved, Yuki's squad seemed to be upset at the orders, but listened anyways.

Yuki let out a sigh and shook his head. He had just came from his small meeting with Shinoda and wasn't happy to see his squad harassing another one. He knew this was also a common occurrence, but still wasn't fond of them doing it.

"I'm sorry for them, Suwa Squad," Yuki said as he bowed his head.

"Nah. It's fine. We already expected them to be like that when we walked over," Suwa said, waving his hand. "So, where were you? It isn't often you see these guys without their overly kind leader."

"Hahaha. About that..." Yuki scratched the back of his head and gave a sheepish smile. "I had to meet up with someone and told these guys that I would meet up with them afterwards. Again, sorry for them."

"Like I said, it's fine. By the way, how are you feeling? You seem to be well if you're walking around."

"I'm fine, thank you." Yuki saw the shocked looks from both squads and panicked a little bit. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean for that to sound rude."

"That's okay. I'm sure even you get irritated after having everyone ask you that. Well, we should get going," Suwa said as he turned around and started to walk away. He gave a wave as they left. "See ya later."

"Yeah. See you. Alright, guys. What do you say we-" Yuki turned to his squad and saw that three of the four looked a little uncomfortable. "What's wrong?"

"Senpai...Do you hate when we ask if you're okay?" Takeshi asked after a few seconds.

"Oh. That...I just let that slip today because of something else. I'm glad you guys and the others are worried about me. Although, you guys can take it a little too far sometimes," Yuki said sheepishly.

The three out of four kept quiet and didn't look at their leader. Their silence brought an awkward atmosphere around the group that would freak anyone out who knew the squad.

Having had enough of the awkwardness, Mei went up to the three and hit each of them on the head before saying, "You three idiots should stop thinking about unnecessary things. When you do that, so does Yuki-kun." She then turned to said male and hit him on the head as well. "And _you_ should already know to be straight and tell them that it does irritate you."

The four who got their heads hit looked at their operator before looking at each other. They all got smiles before letting out laughs. They were really glad to have an operator who was useful both on and off duty.

'Bunch of idiots.' Mei shook her head and looked at Yuki. "By the way, these guys want to know if they can come with us to Tamakoma."

"You were going to Tamakoma!?"

"About that...Can we go tomorrow? I need to discuss something with you guys."

The rest of the squad looked confused at the serious expression on their leader's face. They were going to question him, but something, or rather someone caught their attention.

"Isn't that Jin-san?"

"Who's that with him?"

"I'm not sure."

"Why is Jin-san here with Mikumo-kun?" Yuki asked with a confused expression. "I hope he's not in trouble."

"You know who that is, Senpai?"

"That jerk. I'm gonna go give him a piece of my mind."

Before anyone could stop her, Mei was headed for the two. Deciding it wouldn't be good to leave her to this, the rest of then followed until they were all standing in front of the two.

"Oh. Hey guys. Hello, Mei-chan," Jin said with his usual smug look on his face.

"It's about time you gave me a proper greeting," Mei said with her nose in the air.

"Hello again, Mikumo-kun," Yuki said with a wave.

"Ah. Hello, Yuki-senpai."

"I would like to introduce you guys to Megane-kun here, but we need to get going. Maybe some other time."

"We were planning on going to Tamakoma tomorrow, so it's fine."

"I'm sure the rest of them will be happy to see you guys again." The two started to walk away with Jin giving a wave. "See ya tomorrow then."

"Senpai, who was that with Jin-san?" Takeshi asked with his head tilted a little.

"That was Mikumo Osamu-kun. I met him yesterday, after we took care of those small Neighbors. He's polite and was the one who found out about those small Neighbors. There was someone else with him, but I don't think he's in Border."

"Well he doesn't seem like much. I'm sure I could easily beat him," Toby said as he crossed his arms.

"Honestly, you are such a kid. You get jealous just because Yuki-san wasn't talking about you. I bet that Mikumo-kun has you beat in maturity," Misaki said as she flipped her hair.

"He's probably the same age as me! How can he beat me in maturity!?"

"She's talking about attitude. And I have to agree with her," Takeshi said nonchalantly. "Although, I'm sure Raijinmaru has you beat there as well, so it wouldn't be shocking if Mikumo also has you beat."

"(What was that, you bastard!?)"

"Now, now, both of you calm down," Yuki said, trying to stop the in coming fight. "Let's go get something to eat and I'll tell you guys what I needed to, okay?"

The rest of them nodded their heads and all of them started to leave. They started chatting over random things and unimportant things. They actually seemed like regular high school and middle school students just walking around.

It was times like these that Yuki was the most happiest since Toby and Takeshi weren't fighting, he was feeling well enough to be out and the two girls weren't worrying about him. He looked forward and saw the leader of Border's #7 A-Rank Squad walking in the opposite direction than them.

"Ah, hello, Miwa-kun."

The A-Rank agent just sent him a glare and continued on his way.

The others seem to notice the look and didn't take too kindly to it. Misaki and Takeshi gave their own glares back at him, but he didn't see it. Toby on the other hand...

"Hey, Shuji, you bastard! Yuki was greeting you, so you should give a proper greeting!" Toby started to storm his way towards the older male, but was stopped when Yuki grabbed his shoulder. "Let go! That guy needs to learn some damn manners!"

"It's fine, Toby-kun. I'm sure Miwa-kun has something important on his mind. Besides, he isn't really the type to have a conversation with people."

"Yuki-kun has a point. He always seems mad at something, so it isn't really surprising that he wouldn't answer and just glare," Mei said, not seeming to be mad like the others. "I guess we could ask Yosuke or Shouhei later on."

"Hm. Fine, but I still don't like that guy. (Asswipe.)"

"You should watch your language, Toby-kun."

The brunet just blushed in embarrassment.

* * *

"You mean we all get the emblem on our outfits!? That's so awesome!"

The whole squad was currently at a ramen shop happily eating and slurping down there meals. The shop didn't have many people in it at the time, so they enjoyed the space they got as well. Although, with the sudden outburst from the American of the group, the people that were there looked in their direction.

"Yes, yes, now please sit down, Toby-kun. People are looking," Yuki said as the brunet did as he was told. "Yeah. I wanted to ask for your opinions on what our emblem should be. I'm not sure myself, so I'll let you guys decide."

"A picture of Yuki!"

"Doesn't that make me seem kind of conceited, Toby-kun?"

"Yeah, idiot. Senpai is kind, not conceited. Obviously it should be a flower to show his delicacy."

"Now that makes us seem kind of week, Take-kun."

"I say we go with a simple design."

"That sounds good, Suzu-chan."

"Hm. You say that, but I doubt those two idiots would be fine with something simple," Mei said as she pointed at Toby and Takeshi.

"Do you have any suggestions, Mei-chan?" Yuki asked as he slurped down the rest of the ramen. "I'm sure you of all people can come up with a good one."

"Well...I do have an idea..." Mei pulled out her phone and started scrolling through her pictures. "I've actually been thinking about it for a while now and think I found one that would be good. Those two idiots can't argue about it and it's pretty simple. Plus it has a good meaning, in my opinion." When she found the picture, she put the phone down for the rest of them to see.

"Wow. That really is a great picture."

"I like it."

"It works perfectly with our squad!"

"It does represent a squad led by Senpai."

They all gathered around and saw that the picture was the usual shape as any other emblem, but the main image was a black snowflake in a white moon on top of a gray background.

Mei pointed to the black snowflake in the middle and said, "The black snowflake represents your power," she then pointed to the moon, "while the white moon represents your purity. The gray background is to show the balance between them." Mei took her phone back and put it away. "If you want to look at it in a different way, you could say that the snowflake represents Toby being an Attacker, the moon represents Takeshi being a Shooter and the gray represents Suzume being a Sniper."

"I see. It also works since Senpai's name means 'snow' and 'moon child'. Not to mention he can use any type of trigger," Takeshi said with a thoughtful expression.

"Take-kun, anyone can use any trigger, you know. It's not like I'm anything special," Yuki said bashfully. "Not to mention you three are stronger than me."

"You're not giving yourself enough credit, Yuki-kun. They may have more power than you using Scorpion, Lightning and general shooting respectivly, but you can make combos quicker than them and you're strength with Kogetsu is also no laughing matter."

Yuki couldn't come up with anything to say. He could easily deny anything the other three said, but when Mei was praising him and correcting him, he could never find the words to deny her statements.

The other three simply smiled at the fact that their operator had finally set their leader straight. They knew no matter much they praised or complemented Yuki, he would think they were right, but they also knew that one of the only people who could get away with something like that was Mei.

"Hey, I think we should do something for those two. It's thanks to them that we're even a squad in the first place. What do you guys say?" Misaki whispered to the two next to her while the oldest two were talking.

"Yeah! But what should we do?" Toby whispered back.

"How about we get stronger," Takeshi whispered. "We get so strong that we would be stronger than Senpai and become A-Rank like we wanted."

"That sounds great! You actually thought of something useful!"

"Alright. Starting now, we'll get strong that no one will be able to beat us."

"What are you three whispering about over there?"

The three straightened up and looked at their seniors with 'innocent' smiles on their faces.

"Nothing! We were just talking about how we were gonna prank Tamakoma tomorrow!" Misaki said, trying to make sure she didn't seem suspisous.

The two older ones just gave them odd looks, but otherwise said nothing.

'We will definitely get stronger! A-Rank is our goal!'

* * *

QOTC: What is your favorite World Trigger opening? (Mine's Girigiri)

* * *

 **And there you all go! Chapter two for you all! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. If not, then...Oh well. That just means I didn't do good enough for this.**

 **On another note, I feel like I'm rushing it here, but I guess that's up to you all to decide.**

 **Not much too say here again, so until next time. Bye-onara!**


	3. Suzumebachi Misaki

**Well here's number 3 for you all. This time it's _suppose_ to be about Tsukiko's female Sniper, but I ended up putting a little too much Yuki in the latter half of the chapter. Either way, I still hope you all enjoy! Lastly, opposite of Chapter 1, this chapter actually doesn't have any Line Breaks. For someone like me that's shocking. Now let's get this started! Trigger On!**

 **(Yes. I _did_ have to add that)**

 **Disclaimer: don't own World Trigger**

* * *

 **Chapter 2:** Suzumebachi Misaki

* * *

"Crap! Crap! Crap! I'm running super late! Honestly, why did she want me to help out when I said I was going to Tamakoma today with Captain and the others!?"

Misaki was currently running as fast as her legs could run to the spot the Tsukiko Squad was suppose to meet up at, but as you can tell from what she's saying, she's really late. This lateness is due to the fact her mother wanted her to help out her sister with something. She was usually fine with helping out her family and friends, but she was in a hurry today, so she wasn't in the mood for it.

What made matters worse was that she _knew_ that she would get scolded by _Toby and Takeshi._ That was one of the last things she wanted.

She was thinking about using her Trigger to get there quicker, but decided it wouldn't be the best idea and just tried to speed up a little bit.

"I can see them! I can make it!" Misaki ran faster and did a dive. She went flying forward and just as she was about to hit the ground, she tucked and tumbled until she was right in front of the rest if the squad. She quickly shot up and lifted her arms in the air, exclaiming, "I made it!"

"Yeah, you made it ten minutes after the designated time. Good job, Suzume," Mei said, looking at her watch.

"What the heck, Suzume! Why the hell are you so late!?"

"You know, for someone who's called The Stinger of the Tsukiko Squad, you're pretty slow."

"Now, now, I'm sure Suzu-chan has a good reason for being late," Yuki said, trying to calm the other two males down. "Besides, it's not like this is the only time we can go see Tamakoma."

"That's true, but you're not always going to be feeling this well either." Mei closed her phone and started walking. "So we better go see them while we can. I want to ask Shiorin some stuff, so I'd like to get there quickly."

"I kinda wonder if you can last longer against Reiji-san now, Captain," Misaki said as they followed their operator.

"Of course he can! He's always been able to-"

"Okay, I'm not even going to help you out here," Takeshi said as he put a hand up to stop the brunet. "I know how strong both of them are and, no offense Senpai, but I don't think Senpai can beat him, even with his Side Effect."

"That's right, Toby-kun. Before you joined us, I actually did fight against Reiji-san before and was underly defeated. It was even on one of my best days. We may both be All-Rounders, but he can actually switch between Attacker, Gunner and Sniper easily while I'm stuck either being a Sniper or Attacker-Shooter." Yuki let out a small sigh and shifted the backpack on his back. "In fact, he, Arafune-san and Suzu-chan are the best people I know who can be a Sniper-Attacker. Not only that, but Arafune-san will most likely go for Gunner when he gets high enough points as a Sniper. Against people like that, it would take a good amount of energy to take them down. And you already know my Side Effect doesn't work on people I can't see."

"Well yeah, but..."

"Leave it alone, Toby."

"Honestly. Yuki-san may be strong, but he can't beat everyone. Even if you're new, you should know that." Misaki flipped her hair back and let out a huff. "Honestly, this is why I prefer Captain's Rhythm more than your guys'. He has the perfect balance while you guys don't."

"We know already. I have 'too much Techo' for your liking."

"I'm glad I've got the Metal! It's shows how much more power I have than you!"

"I'm fine with my Pop."

"I do find it funny that you like Yuki-senpai's Rhythm when his isn't even fully Rock, Suzume-senpai," Takeshi said, making the girl start spluttering. "If I remember correctly, you said that he has a Rhythm that 'changes so constantly' that you would never like a person like him."

"Really? You said that? Ahahahahahahaha!"

"It was before you joined us."

"Th-that's because I hardly knew him! Now his changing Rhythm is the best melody I can ever hear. Honestly, it makes stuff like Jin-san, Tachikawa-san and Kirin sound dull and boring," Misaki said with a dreamy look. "Every time it changes, it's like I'm listening to a concert and I have a front row seat."

 _"Every time it changes, it's like I'm listening to a concert and I have a front row seat."_

"Huh?" Misaki turned to see Takeshi with his phone out and both he and Toby looking at the screen while her voice continued to replay on the device. "Honestly! You bastards are going to get a bullet to the head! Give me that phone!" She went for the phone, but failed to grab it as the four iches between them stopped her.

"I'm sure Konami-senpai would love to hear this. Not to mention the harassment Jin-san will give you for this." Takeshi stepped back as Misaki tried for another grab. "I might even show this to Tachikawa-san."

"Um...Guys..."

"Like hell I'll let you! I will _honestly_ put a bullet in your head if you do!"

"Hey, idiots."

"I don't think Yuki-senpai would like you to do that."

"Shut up and pay attention! We're already here, (you damn bastards)!"

The two stopped arguing to see that they really were in front of the Tamakoma HQ. They both looked at each other before backing up.

"Honestly, what are we waiting for then?" Misaki asked as she walked forward with a huff. What do I even care? Show that to all three of them for all I care. I'll just punch Jin-san for harassment and Kirin can't do anything to me!"

Yuki just gave an amused smile while Mei let out a sigh. The two knew that what she was saying was a lie and that she would unleash her wrath on Takeshi later on.

"Hello! Anyone here! The great Tsukiko Squad has graced you with their presence, so you should show yourselves!"

 **Pat. Pat. Pat.**

"Oh, it's you guys."

The whole squad looked over to see a kid with a helmet on. He was riding a capybara and had a snack in his hands.

"Hello, Yotaro-kun," Yuki said as he bent down to the kid's level. "Could you tell us where Shiorin and the others are?"

"They're busy with training some newbs," the kid said as he ate some of his snack.

"Thank you." Yuki took his backpack off and pulled out three chocolate bars and a can. "Here you go. The chocolate is for you and the stuff in the can is for Raijinmaru-chan."

"And this is why you're my favorite and why you can pet Raijinmaru's belly whenever you want." With that, the kid took his leave.

"Well, let's go see who those newbs are and how badly they're getting their asses kicked," Misaki said as she started to head towards where the others were.

"I wonder who those 'newbs' are though. Maybe Mikumo-kun?" Mei said, looking at Yuki.

"He's probably one of them. If I had to guess, I'd say that the boy I saw with both Mikumo-kun and Jin-san is probably another one."

"Hm. Now I'm wondering how story he is."

"Konami-senpai, you lost!?"

"I-I did not!"

"We fought ten times, and I only one the last one. Final score: 9:1."

"That's right! I'm way better than you!"

"For now. But I'm getting the hang of how you fight. I'll do better next time, _Konami-senpai_."

"Don't let it go to your head, _Yuma._ That was the first and last win."

Hearing this, Misaki rushed inside the room and yelled out, "Kirin lost!?"

The attention of everyone in the room went to Misaki in an instant. Two were confused, two looked nonchalant and the last one looked to be such shock that she was frozen.

Misaki ran up to the girl standing in shocked, grabbed her by the shoulder and violently shook her while yelling out, "You couldn't have lost! Was it Torimaru!? Honestly tell me it was Torimaru! I would understand if it was him!"

"Suzume-senpai, I think you should stop shaking her," Takeshi said as he walked up to one of the guys standing up. "Hello, Torimaru-senpai."

"Yo, Take."

Doing as suggested, Misaki let go of the girl and got a smack to the head afterwards. She rubbed her head as she let out a whimper, but said nothing.

"I only lost the last one. It won't happen again," Konami said with a huff.

"I'm the one who beat her."

Misaki looked over to see a short boy with white hair having a smug look on his face. She walked over to him and leered down at him. She flipped her hair and huffed.

"You're different." She looked back at Konami with a bored expression. "Kirin, if this kid is your student, you wouldn't mind if I tested him myself, would you?"

"Oh? You want to fight me?" the kid said, smug look still on his face.

"Now, now, why don't we start with introductions and snacks?" Yuki said as he pulled off his backpack. He then turned back around to face the others. "Mikumo-kun and Yuma-kun already met me, so hello again. Well this is my squad. The brunet is Toby Awdry, the one with the scarf is Kotowari Takeshi, the one challenging Yuma-kun is Misaki Suzumebachi and last, but not least, Takaoto Mei."

"Hello."

"Yo."

"Honestly, I could have introduced myself."

"Hello, you two."

Yuki then gestured to Osamu and Yuma while saying, "Guys, the one with the glasses is Mikumo-kun and the short one is Yuma-kun."

"Hello."

"Hi."

"So, what brings your guys here?" Karasuma asked as he was handed a snack.

"We came here because Toby wanted to propose to Konami-senpai," Takeshi said with his usual bored expression. "He even bought a ring."

"Wh-what!? R-really!?" Konami asked with a blush. He looked at Toby and started blabbering on about stuff none of them could understand.

"Sorry. That was a lie."

"Huh?"

"I lied."

"You tricked me!" Konami yelled as she started beating on Osamu.

"Honestly, anyone would believe that you and Torimaru were related or something," Misaki said with a huff.

"But Misaki, he said that you looked really pretty," Karasuma said, pointing to Osamu.

"W-well at least he's got that right."

"Sorry. I was lying."

"Huh?"

"I lied."

"How could you trick an honest girl like me, you damn Megane!" Misaki yelled as she started beating on Osamu.

"But I didn't do anything!" Osamu said back as he covered his head.

At the same time, Karasuma and Takeshi gave each other a high five.

"You two are idiots," Mei sighed out as she shook her head.

"Anyways, what do you say to a five round match?" Misaki asked, looking at Yuma. "Best three out of five."

"Hm...I was going to train more with Konami-senpai, but..."

"Do it, Yuma." The white haired boy's attention went to his teacher while she gave him a interested look. "It'll be good practice for you. Plus, I'm interested in knowing whether or not you can hold your own against her Stingers."

"Hm? Stingers?" Yuma looked at Misaki with a smirk on his face. "Alright then. Let's get started right now."

The two left to go into the training area while the rest of them stayed in the room. Karasuma and Osamu stayed at the request of Konami to show Osamu what the outcome would be. Toby, Mei and Takeshi went and sat on the couch as if this was a part of their visits.

"Yuki-senpai, what position is Misaki-senpai?" Osamu asked, looking at the older male.

"No need to be so polite. She wouldn't mind if you called her Suzumebachi, Suzume or even Suzu. To answer your question, Mikumo-kun, she's our Sniper."

"Then she's at a disadvantage if she's fighting Kuga. He's an Attacker, so he can fight up close."

"Yes, well..."

 **Misaki Down.**

"She's proficient at being an Attacker as well..."

 **Misaki Down.**

"Not to mention her Side Effect is really useful."

"That was number two..." Karasuma said as if he had expected that to happen.

"She gonna pull out her first Stinger now. Megane, pay attention to what happens here."

Doing as he was told, Osamu looked at what was going on and was shocked when he saw Yuma get shot in the head only a few seconds after the two had started fighting.

 **Kuga Down.**

"That was so fast! I could hardly see what happened!"

"Looks like she found Kuga's Rhythm. It'll be over in no time."

 **Kuga Down.**

Osamu looked at the ones on the couch and asked, "What do you mean 'found Kuga's Rhythm?'"

"No reason to actually tell you," Takeshi said as he finished the hamburger in his hand.

"Take-kun, don't be rude. I'll tell you, Mikumo-kun," Yuki said, looking at the younger male. "You see, Suzu-chan's Side Effect let's her find a person's Rhythm. Whether it be for fighting, or just to know the person's personality better. The way she explains it is like she sees the person's movements, behavior and habits down to the smallest detail like if a person listened to a song and was able to tell every instrument apart. She categorizes each person within a song genre and figures out what tactics to use against that person. She said that Toby-kun's Rhythm is Metal, Take-kun's is Techno and Mei-chan's is Pop."

 **Kuga Down.**

"Wow. If you don't mind my asking, what is your Rhythm, Yuki-senpai?"

"Heh heh heh...About that..." Yuki scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"He doesn't have a set Rhythm, according to Misaki." Karasuma was now facing the two of them. "Because of his Side Effect, he can't correctly be placed in a Genre. If I remember correctly, that's one of the reasons why she joined your squad."

"So does that mean she's found your guys' Rhythms, Karasuma-senpai?"

"Yeah. Torimaru's Rhythm is Rap and Kirin's is Rock," Misaki said as she came in the room with Yuma behind her. "Reiji-san's is Metal and Shiorin's is J-Pop."

"That was a good fight. You are strong," Yuma said, looking at Misaki.

"You idiot. She wasn't even going all out on you," Konami said as she walked up to the two. "She didn't even show her hidden Stinger."

"So, what did you guys think about my uniform?" Misaki asked, getting confused looks from the rest of them. "Honestly, we got an emblem! Don't I look even cuter than before!"

"What!? I didn't even notice!" Shiori exclaimed as she looked back at the screen while both Konami and Karasuma rushed to the computer. "There it is! You guys really did get an emblem! It looks so cool too!"

"So, you finally accepted the promotion?" Karasuma asked, looking at Yuki.

"Yeah...I took it yesterday..." Yuki trailed off as he looked down.

"Mei-san's the one who designed it and even said what each thing represents! The black snowflake is for either our power or the mentally Metal kid over there! The white moon is either for our purity or the Techno freak! And the gray is either for our balance or the great me! Obviously the whole thing is to represent Yuki-san, but we're also a part of it!"

 _"Th-that's because I hardly knew him! Now his changing Rhythm is the best melody I can ever hear. Honestly, it makes stuff like Jin-san, Tachikawa-san and Kirin sound dull and boring. Every time it changes, it's like I'm listening to a concert and I have a front row seat."_

Misaki froze when she heard the recording of her own voice. She looked over to see Takeshi playing the video on his phone and started to sweat when she felt an ominous aura behind her. She turned around and saw Konami glaring down at her.

"Dull and boring, huh?"

"W-well...You see...It's my Captain, so..." Misaki gave a sheepish laugh before rushing towards the exit.

"Get back here!"

"She should really watch what she says."

Yuki gave a smile and agreed. That's when he felt something vibrate in his pocket. He took his phone out and saw who it was. Excusing himself, he left to the room with the phone to his hear.

"So, if you don't mind me asking, what positions are you guys?" Osamu asked, looking at the two males on the couch and saw that one of them was asleep.

"Again, don't need to tell you," Takeshi said with a bored tone.

"Take is their Shooter and Toby is their Attacker," Shiori said, getting a small glare from Takeshi. "Yuki is an All-Rounder and has even fought against Reiji-san."

"Really!? What happened!?"

"He lost terribly. He was absolutely no match for Reiji-san," Karasuma said, checking to see if Takeshi would try anything. "And before you ask, he doesn't blame his sickness. He even says the fight was on one of his best days."

"That's not to say he isn't strong." The door opened to show Konami waking in with Misaki behind her and rubbing her head. "He's been qualified to be an A-Rank for a year now and he has just barely accepted the promotion."

"I'm wondering why though," Shiori said with a thoughtful expression. "He's always saying he wants to be promoted with his whole squad, so it seems odd that he would just take the promotion like that."

"We've all vouched for him and his ability. Even without any agent saying anything, the higher-ups recognize his strength and have been giving him multiple offers." Konami let out a huff and crossed her arms. "It took him long enough to accept."

"Honestly, our Captain is _too_ nice most of the times. We constantly tell him that we want _him_ to stand in the victory circle, but he just brushes us off. He only ever listens to Mei-san without an argument." Misaki crossed her arms and looked down with a sad expression. "I wish he would take the rest of us as seriously as he does with her."

"Sorry for asking so many questions, but can I ask one more?"

"You just did." Misaki smirked when she saw the reaction she got. "But I guess one more won't hurt. Last one though since I'm sure Torimaru wants you to get back to training."

"Okay. I just wanted to know how long you've all know Yuki-senpai."

"Oh, that's easy. Mei-san has known him the longest and became his operator when he needed one. Next is actually Take. I don't actually know when they met, but I do know that Take joined Yuki-san's squad two weeks after they met and that was also the day after Take made it to B-Rank. Next is me. I met him last year and joined his squad a month after that. Toby is the last one and the two met about half a year ago. I'll give credit to the kid for making it to B-Rank as fast as he did."

"How fast did he make it?"

"That was the last question, Osamu. Let's get back to training."

"R-right! Sorry!"

"You too, Yuma. Let's go another around."

The four left the room and passd by Yuki, who was coming in the room. Yuki wished them luck then turned back to the room.

"Ah...Suzu-chan...Can you come here for a second?" Yuki asked from the doorframe.

"Hm? Sure, Captain."

"Also, Shiorin, is there any place for us to train as well?"

"Of course! I'll get a room set up for you!"

"Thanks." Yuki turned to the ones on the couch next. "Take-kun...Mei-chan, can you wake Toby-kun up and tell him to meet me in that room? Take-kun, if you could practice by yourself for a while..."

"Sure thing."

"Alright."

"Thank you." Yuki walked out and was followed by Misaki. He led her down the hall until they were far enough away from the room.

"What did you need, Captain?"

"I just got orders to go help out somewhere, if needed, but my abilities wouldn't be much help for what might be happening. You are the one better suited for this and wanted to know if you could go in my sted." Yuki had a serious expression on that Misaki knew meant he really did think she was better suited for the job. "You don't have to do it if you want, of course. I know you've been looking forward to going at it with Kirie, so-"

"No. It's fine. If my Captain says I'm best suited for this, then I'll give it my all."

Yuki smiled at hearing this. He knew how much his words meant to his squad, but that was because he never said them as empty complements. He always meant what he said and it always came from the heart, so his squad happily followed his orders without question.

"Alright. So this is what you have to do..."

* * *

QOTC: If you were a part of Border, what position would you be?

* * *

 **And there you all go. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. If you didn't then that just means I didn't do a good enough job.**

 **So about those fight between Suzu and Yuma...I didn't want to show what Suzu could actually do until the next chapter, so you can look forward to that.**

 **On a side note, the little bit with Take and Torimaru was a last minute thing that I liked too much. I ended up making Take a little turd that I can't help but enjoy writing. This is almost completely different than what he was suppose to be, but you'll see that in later chapters.**

 **I hope you all continue reading and enjoy the rest of the fic. Until next time, see ya!**


	4. Suzumebachi Misaki: Part 2

**And here is number 4 for you all! I hope you enjoy! This was a little hard to figure out, yet easy to write. I couldn't do flashy stuff for Suzu since she's a Sniper, and I'm saving that kind of stuff for Toby, but oh well.**

 **On a side note, it's return of the Line Breaks and not enough narration.**

 **Now let's get this started!**

 **Disclaimer: Don't own World Trigger**

* * *

 **Chapter 4:** Suzumebachi Misaki: Part 2

* * *

"This is the second damn time I've been late today!"

 _"Are you sure you should be yelling like that when you're suppose to be sneaking around?"_

"Shut up! I'm not close enough to where they can hear me and they can't find me using Radar, so I can yell if I want!"

Misaki let out a frustrated sigh as she hopped from one rooftop to another. She had been asked by Yuki to assist Jin and the Arashiyama Squad, with Mei acting as her operator from the Tamakoma HQ.

She had been held back by Yotaro when she was suppose to leave and was currently late to the fight with a Bagworm covering her from any Radars. She had wanted to find a good sniping spot before the fight got started, but figured she could do that after actually getting in range of the fight.

 _"Sorry we're late, Jin."_

 _"Perfect timing, Arashiyama. Thanks for the help."_

 _"I heard it was to aid Mikumo and his friends. I owe him a lot."_

 _"You too, Kitora?"_

 _"It was an order."_

"Honestly, why am I so late?" Misaki sped up a little bit, but noticed two things hop into two different direction. 'Those two...Hm. Looks like I'll help with them first.' With that in mind, she started to head towards one of the two.

* * *

"Okay. Let's go over Border Triggers," Shiori said as she held a small box of Triggers. She took one out and took off the case. "So this is what's inside the Trigger holder."

Osamu and Yuma looked too see eight chips in two rows of four.

"These little chips are the actual 'Triggers,'" Shiori said as she pointed to the chips. "They decide what outward for the users Trion will take. You can set up to eight different types of Triggers. You fight by switching between offensive and defensive ones." She stood up straight and looked at the two while lifting her right arm and pointed at the top row. "This side is the Main Triggers for your dominant hand." She then pointed to the second row and lifted her left arm. "These are the Sub Triggers for your other hand. You can use two types at the same time."

"Hmm. So you can do lots of combos," Yuma said with a thoughtful look.

"First...Let's look at the Attacker Triggers Yuma might use." She then turned to Yuki, who was off to the side. "Yuki, would you mind helping with visuals?"

"Sure thing." Yuki turned his Trigger on and changed into wearing an open gray track suit-like uniform with his emblem on his right breast and right shoulder.

"Wow! You look so good with you emblem on!" Shiori's complement came with a blush from the male. "Anyways, the first one will be..." Just as she said that, a small light dagger appeared in Yuki's hand. "A lightweight blade speed-oriented attackers use often: Scorpion."

"Oh~~ Interesting."

"The blade can be materialized at will, and it weighs almost nothing. You can manifest blades from places besides your hand. By adjusting Trion...it's shape and length can be modified."

Doing as she said, Yuki lifted his elbow and another blade came out of it looking different from the one in his hand. Another one came from his other hand, but was longer than the other two.

"On the other hand...It's not very durable, so it can break pretty easily if you block with it. It's basically used for offense only."

"The Scorpion is Toby-kun's main weapon when he fights and has even developed special techniques using it," Yuki said, gaining the two's attention. "Not only that, but Suzu-chan has her own special use for it."

"Is that her Hidden Stinger Konami-senpai was talking about?"

"Yeah. Maybe she'll show it to you later."

"Next. The most popular, all-purpose blade: Kogetsu." As she said that, Yuki pulled the sword out from the sheath at his hip. "Unlike Scorpion, it's not easily manifested or retracted. But it has a nice balance of power and durability. It's pretty heave, and you can't change it's shape or length. Define toy a masterpiece in total stats. And also...by using Trion, and a special Optional Trigger, it can momentarily extend it's attack."

"Before Take-kun joined my squad, Kogetsu was my main weapon," Yuki said as he did some slashes.

"Mei says you were pretty wild when she had met you. I would have liked to see you fight back then with Kogetsu."

"Heh heh heh...Well, that's in the past."

"That sounds interesting, but I would like to see Suzume's Hidden Stinger."

* * *

Meanwhile, Jin and the Arashiyama Squad have been fighting against the top elites of Border, but were now on top of a roof to figure out what their next move would be.

"They'll probably split us up next."

"Then what?"

"No problem. Having you take card of a few of them will make it a lot easier for me. "Jin turned to Arashiyama and said, "I wish Kazama would go after you, but he'll probably come after me."

"If somes going to try to stall us...It'll probably be Miwa Squad," Tokieda said. "Miwa has his Lead Bullets."

"If we can...we should pretend to get spilt up...and lure them into our formation."

"Good idea. We'll coordinate with Ken and engage them."

 _"If it'll make you feel better, I'll be taking down Narasaka and Shouhei-kun."_

Jin and Arashiyama Squad were shocked when they heard a new voice coming in. They recognized it as Misaki's and smiled.

"Thanks. We appreciate the backup."

 _"No problem. I'll take them down with my Stingers and then I can help you guys out as an actual Sniper."_

"Here they come."

The Arashiyama Squad jumped down to face their opponents while Jin went the other way and was facing Kazama Squad and Tachikawa. Just as he landed, he brought his Fujin up and blocked an attack from Tachikawa.

He immediately brought his blade back up to block an incoming attack from Kazama. He bent back and dodged the two Scorpions that came from Kazama's arm. He didn't have time as he moved his body so that the two bullets aimed at him would miss.

'Some time soon would be nice...'

* * *

 _"We're not hitting him, Narasaka-senpai!"_

"Just keep shooting. Jin-san's Side Effect is Foresight. Nothing can be done," Narasaka said as he got ready for another shot. "Don't think of it as trying to hit him. We're limiting his mobility. We're overwhelming him with constant bombardment." He heard a sigh and responded with, "Touma-san, why don't _you_ shoot for once?"

 _"Me? How can I shoot when I know it won't hit? My pride as a Sniper won't allow it. 'Nothing can be done'? That's how you end ul being second best forever. I'm going to join Miwa. You take care of Jin-san."_

"Say what!?"

 _"It's fine, Narasaka. Touma will be more useful that way. But I can't afford to lose you guys too."_

"Well, that honestly sucks for him then, doesn't it? I'm gonna end this quickly."

Narasaka went wide eyed when he heard the voice, then a shot sound, and quickly jumped out of the way from a strike to the head.

 _"Narasaka, what happened?"_

"An extremely annoying opponent has just joined the fight."

He looked forward and saw Misaki standing where he was while holding a Lightning in one hand and something on her middle finger of the opposite hand. He already know that it was a Scorpion that was wrapped around her finger and sharpened at the tip.

"Well that's not a very nice thing to say. Honestly," she said with a grin on her face, "I feel bad for shooting Shouhei-kun like that, but I have no problems stabbing you in the face."

 _"I'm sorry, Narasaka-senpai, I didn't see her shot coming until the last second."_

"It's fine. If you saw it before it hit you then it wouldn't have been an attack I'm use to fending off. Although..." Narasaka kept his eye on the hand that had Scorpion on it. "The fact she brought out her Hidden Stinger...Being an Attacker-Sniper is fine and all, but the way you fight with your Lighting is what pisses me off the most."

"And your point?"

"I've always thought you were a disgrace to Snipers and hate your style." Narasaka let out a sigh and stood up straight. "Looks like I've got no choice. Bail Out!" He turned into light and shot towards the Border Headquaters.

He opened his eyes to see the light from the room in his eyes. He let out a sigh and got up from the mat he had landed on. He walked over to where Shouhei and Ren were.

"I guess we shoud consider ourselves lucky it's just her. Yuki-san was probably the told to go and fight...The fact it's only her means that the others don't have to worry about someone who can fight against any if them."

"But can't Misaki take them down too?" Shouhei asked, confused as to how there would be much of a difference.

"Not particularly. Most know that a Sheild is useless against her, but they also know that it's actually easy to dodge her shots. Her First Stinger is why she's a good Sniper, but her Hidden Stinger is what makes her a great agent."

"Her Hidden Stinger?"

"Right, I forgot you haven't seen it yet," Narasaka turned looked at the screen with an irritated expression. "That Hidden Stinger is what pisses me off the most about her."

* * *

"Alright. Mei-san, should I help Jin-san or Arashiyama Squad?" Misaki asked as she looked at the fight between Jin and his opponents,

 _"If you could try and take out Touma-san, that would be helpful. With him around, Miwa and Izumi have don't have to worry about Arashiyama-san's teleportation as much as they should."_

"Alright then. Jin-san, you mind if I go help out Arashiyama-san?"

 _"Go ahead. I've got things here."_

'I might as well level a little something for them.' Misaki brought up her Lightning and pointed it at one of Jin's opponents and fired. 'Sorry about this, Ryou-kun.' She gave a satisfied grin as the target's head was shot and ended up in a Bail Out.

 _"Thanks for that."_

"No problem. See ya later."

Misaki turned and started for where she was told Arashiyama was. She put away her Scorpion and tried to stay out of clear view. As she got closer to the spot, she saw a flash speed by and two Bail Outs. She automatically pulled up her Lightning. She looked through and saw Touma on a building and stopped where she was. Focused in on him and fired a shot before jumping down from the building.

'I was only able to get his leg. Damn. Honestly, I should have powered it up.'

 _"Ken, Suzume. Still there?"_

 _"Yup. Inconspicuous and everything."_

"Yeah. I'm headed your way right now."

 _"Nice shot, by the way, Suzu-chan."_

"Thanks, Ken-kun, but honestly, you haven't done much, have you?"

 _"There's no line of fire! Touma-san's edging this way too!"_

 _"Ken, increase radar precision for ten seconds. I'd like to know exactly what they're doing."_

 _"Roger!"_

 _"They're heading for Jin."_

 _"That's Miwa-senpai and Izumi-senpai. Touma-san's wearing a Bagworm, so we can't tell."_

 _"It's a trap."_

"In that case, I could use _that_ to blast both of them away," Misaki said as she stopped running and waited.

 _"Are you crazy!? Do you want to blow us away too!?"_

 _"No, it's better if you save that for another time, Suzume. Not to mention I doubt Yuki gave you permission to use it."_

Misaki flipped her hair and let out a huff. Her she had wanted to use her Trump Card, but Arashiyama was right about her not getting permission to use it. She listened to the plan they had come up with and let out another huff.

'Honestly...'

* * *

"Yuki-senpai, I wondering something," Osamu asked, looking at Yuki.

"Hm? What is it?"

"I wondering if Misaki-senpai only uses her two Stingers. I mean, I can image her using it most of the time since it seems to work for her, but does she ever use anything else?"

"Well...We consider her First Stinger her main one and her Hidden Stinger her Ace in the Hole, but...She has a Trump Card as well."

"A Trump Card?" Yuma asked, getting into the conversation. "Isn't that the same as an Ace in the Hole?"

"Either way, we separate them. But, yeah, only a few people actually know what it is. I'm not sure even Toby-kun knows what it is. I can't remember, but Shiorin, have you seen it before?" Yuki asked, looking at the Operator.

"Actually, no. I think the only person in Tamakoma who has seen it is Konami."

"You guys really keep it a secret, huh?" Yuma asked.

"It's not really that, so much as she needs to have two conditions met before using it." Yuki lifted one finger and continued with, "The first: there must be a dire situation for her to use it. Second: she must get both Mei-chan's and my approval before using it."

"Wow...It must be really strong then..." Osamu said, seeming to be in thought now.

"Other than that, her usual fighting style is more than enough most of the times. You see, while she's an Attacker-Sniper, her single combat style is leaning more towards the Attacker side. She uses Lightning, something that doesn't weight much, with one hand easily while at the same time has her Hidden Stinger at the ready. She can pinpoint a person quickly with her one-handed Lightning First Stinger because of her Side Effect."

"By herself she sounds really strong...To image going against all of you at once...What would it take?"

"Hahaha! Don't think about it too much, Mikumo-kun. They are all still B-Rank and I was barely promoted, so our squad still has much to learn. I will say this though..." He gave the younger male a mischievous grin that neither Osamu or Yuma thought he could manage. " _Those three aren't at their peak of power._ "

Osamu couldn't help but gulp at hearing this while Yuma seemed a little excited by the idea of the three getting stronger later on.

* * *

'Poor Arashiyama-san. I guess that just means I'll have to do my best here then,' Misaki thought as she had both of her Stingers out.

"Arashiyama-san. Where's your capable subordinate?" Miwa asked as he stood in front of a kneeling Arashiyama. "Isn't she and Misaki using you as bait for as uprise attack? Or is the girl going for Touma-san?"

"...Who knows?"

"Wow. You suck at lying, Arashiyama-san."

Miwa brought up his gun and shot two bullets at the fallen man. His Lead Bullets' effects kicked in and brought the #5 A-Rank Captain's left arm down with its weights.

"Either way, we'll knock you all out, one at a time!"

'Now!'

Arashiyama teleoprted and while Misaki waited for a shot, they all saw a light and watched as someone was forced to Bail Out.

"Touma-san!?"

"Just like you said...It was a surprise attack, with me as bait."

Just as Miwa and Izumi were about to shoot at Arashiyama, there were two shots with each one destroying an arm.

Both Miwa and Izumi were shocked not only by the shots, but also by the fact that while Miwa had a finely sharpened Scorpion in his face, Izumi had a Lightning pointed straight at his face. All of this was courtesy of Misaki, of course.

"I own you this for glaring at my captain yesterday," Misaki said with a smirk.

"You shouldn't have come out in the open, Miwa."

That's when they saw two more people Bail Out.

"Argh! We lost! Jin won six on one!?" Izumi said, astonished by the outcome. "A Black Trigger is crazy powerful!"

"Hahaha! Looks like we're done here," Misaki said as she put away her Scorpion and lowered her Lightning. "Honestly, it's always fun when it comes to you guys."

"Mission complete."

"Arashiyama-san, did you see my twin sniping?"

"Yeah. Well done, Kitora, Ken. You too, Mitsuru, Ayatsuji." Arashiyama then turned to Misaki and said, "Of course you deserve a thanks too, Suzume."

"No problem. Honestly, you should thank Yuki-san since he's the one who sent me," Misaki said with a hair flip. She then turned to the other two. "What I did find funny though was that you predicted the opposite. I came after you two while Kitora-chan went for the Sniper."

"Suzu-chan, did you see my twin sniping!?" Satori asked with a grin on his face.

"Of course! It was still awesome! How'd you like my Stingers!?"

"A perfect fit for you!"

Then the two high-fived.

* * *

"Welcome back. You did a good job out there," Mei said as she handed Misaki a cup.

"Honestly, of course I did, Yuki-san asked me to do it after all," Misaki answered back before drinking from the cup. "Speaking of which, where is the captain...And I guess those other turds."

"Yuki-kun went home and the other accompanied him. They said they would go home afterwards. Oh, he also said 'Tell Suzu-chan she did a great job and I'll treat her to some ramen.' Looks like you got lucky."

"Yes! Just me and Yuki-san! Those turds won't be there!" Misaki suppressed a yawn, then looked back at Mei. "Do you think they'll let me spend the night here? I really don't feel like going back home."

"It's fine. I already asked Shiorin and she said it was fine. I also informed your mom already, so you can just go and rest."

"'Ank oh, 'Ei-sa'," Misaki yawned out as she rubbed her eyes. "See ya tomorrow."

"Yeah. Sweet dreams."

* * *

QOTC: Would you rather have Satori's Twin Sniping skills or Suzu's Two Stingers skills?

* * *

A **nd there you all go. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. If you didn't then that just means I didn't do a good enough job.**

 **Honestly, I suck at making fight scenes. I did find it funny that even though this chapter was suppose to revolve around Suzu, more than half of it was _other characters_ talking about her. Either way, it is what it is.**

 **I hope you all enjoy and continue to read the rest of this fic! Until next time, bye bye!**


	5. Mei Takaoto

**And here is number 5 for you all! The reason why I get these out so quickly is because I have no life...Jk...Slightly. It's because I'm hooked on World Trigger right now. I'm sad to say this, but when I end up getting hooked on another anime/manga the update for this will be slower. On the upside that doesn't seem like it will happen any time soon.**

 **That being said, let's get this started!**

 **Disclaimer:** Don't own World Trigger

* * *

 **Chapter 5:** Mei Takaoto

* * *

'Let's see...I should probably go to HQ first...then I'll go visit Yuki-kun...'

Mei let out a sigh as she sat the the Tamakoma Headquarters. She had multiple papers in front of her and a small cup of tea next to the papers.

She had gotten up early and adorned herself with a simple T-shirt, jacket and sweats. She didn't bother waking anyone else up and simple stayed in her own thoughts while looking from one page to another.

"Were you up at four in the morning again? I don't think Yuki would be too happy to know you were up so early again. Especially since you go to sleep really late."

Mei looked over to see the Tamakoma boss standing not too far away from her. She gave a greeting and turned back to the work set out in front of her.

"With all do respect, Sir, you already know that I need to keep myself busy," Mei said, not taking her eyes off the papers. "Yuki-kun may not like it, but he also knows that I don't need as much sleep as other people and that I need to keep myself busy. Besides, he can't complain when he's the one who said I need to be doing something when I'm awake."

"I know, I know," Rindo said as he sat down on the couch across from her. "I already know all about that. Since you switched over, you've been more in paperwork than back then."

"If you want to blame someone, then blame him. If he didn't ask me to be his Operator then I would still be at the top." She looked up and thought for a few seconds before looking down and saying, "Not that I'm complaining, or anything. Yuki-kun and those three idiots keep me busy enough, so I don't mind helping them out."

"Hahaha! I suppose that's true. Although, I would like to see you go at it again sometime."

"I do from time-to-time, but only against Yuki-kun."

"Oh? Is that because the others aren't good enough?"

"You already know that isn't true. I simple prefer to keep it a secret from most people. I'm sure only a few people actually remember me from back then."

"Especially since you cut that wonderful hair of yours."

"I will hit you, Sir."

"Hahaha! That still hasn't changed, has it?"

Mei couldn't help but let a small smile grace her lips. Besides Yuki, there were only a handful of people who could make her smile from a simple conversation. She wasn't comfortable around most people, but the Tamakoma boss was one of the people she didn't mind having around.

A comfortable silence came over the two with only the sound of rustling papers and sipping sounds coming from one of them taking a drink. All-in-all it sent a nice feeling through Mei that made her seem more relaxed.

* * *

Mei let out a small sigh as she walked around the Border Headquarters.

After everyone was up and moving around, she had to put her papers away out of fear that Yotaro would end up spilling something on them. She had a nice chat with Shiori, but that was interrupted when Misaka had started going on about Yuki. She ended up just leaving and wishing Osamu, Yuma and Chica luck on their training.

After leaving Tamakoma, she had ended up switching plans and visited Yuki first. She ended up seeing that it was one of the days where he would have to stay in bed and get a lot of rest. While she didn't mind that, she couldn't help but think of the reason he had to stay there.

She had gone home after that and changed into something else before making her way to the Headquaters with a box in her arms. When she was walking, she had met up with Toby and Takeshi and denied any help with carrying the box. The three walked to the HQ with Mei having to stop multiple oncoming fights between the two.

When they had reached the building, the two boys went off while Mei made her way to her destination. She didn't ask where the two were going, but she guessed it was to either harass another squad or train.

As she walked through the building, she was greeted by other people and gave her own greeting in return. She had even stopped to talk certain squads like Nasu Squad and Kako Squad.

"Good to know they're doing well," she said to no one in particular.

"Would you like some help with that?"

She turned and saw Shinoda walking next to her. While she would deny the help from most people, she could feel her arms starting to hurt and already had trust in the man that he wouldn't open the box. There was also the fact he already knew what was in it.

"Thank you, Sir. And I'm sorry," Mei said as she rubbed her arms.

"It's no problem," Shinoda said kindly. "If you don't mind me asking, were you planning on looking through these again for a nostalgic reason?"

"I guess you could say that. I really just brought them over for reference, but I guess I still have a slight attachment to them." She looked at the box with a slightly sad expression. "I haven't used my personal one in a while...I guess somewhere in me...I want to remember what it was like back then."

"Is that so?"

"Don't get me wrong, Sir. I don't want to remember it for any good times I had...It's my own way of moving forward...I didn't end up with a 'reminder' like Yuki-kun, so I need to do this every once in a while."

"You two really have grown. Both of you want to bury that time to hide it from the others, yet you keep it close enough to the surface for you to reach it." Shinoda got a nostalgic look as he continued on saying, "You two were such a handful back then. Even if you have to remind yourselves of the bad times, you two should also remember the good times."

"With all do respect, Sir, we would rather forget about it all together. We are glad that you and the others were there, but there are more painful times than there were good times." The two stopped in front of a room and Mei took her box back. "Thank you for helping me, Sir. I'm sorry to have taken your time."

"You sound like Yuki. I'm the one who offer to help you, so it's no problem," Shinoda said with a kind smile. "Well, try not to over work yourself." Just as he was about to turn and leave, Shinoda stopped and looked at Mei again. "By any chance, did Yuki tell you the conditions he requested in our talk?"

"Conditions?" Mei narrowed her eyes and let out a sigh. "No, Sir. He didn't tell me anything concerning your talk."

* * *

"He really is an idiot. Why did he have to say something like that."

Mei couldn't help but get a little irritated at remembering what Shinoda had told her. She figured that Yuki wouldn't except the promotion without having some kind of condition, but she didn't think it would have been something like that.

She had out it in the back of her mind while she had worked and looked through the contents in the box, but now that was on a break and eating, she couldn't help but get irritated. Her irritation had caused multiple agents to steer clear of her and the tables surrounding her were completely open.

Letting out a dragged out sigh, she pulled out three stacks of papers and started looking through them. She pulled out some and out the rest away. She looked at the papers with narrowed eyes as if she wanted them to burn right then and there.

"Whoa. It's not every day you see the great Takaoto Mei looking ready to kill someone. What's wrong?"

Mei didn't move her head, or even look in the direction of the voice, but knew exactly who it belonged to and simply gave her greeting. While she was on good terms with the Miwa Squad, she wasn't in the mood to deal with the two that were currently there.

"You mind if we sit here?"

"Go ahead. It's not like you would leave if I told you to."

"Pardon us," Shouhei said as he sat down next to Yoneya. "What are those papers for, Mei-san?"

"For something involving the biggest idiot I know." She looked up from the papers and looked at the glasses wearing boy with an indifferent expression. "By the way, Shouhei, Suzume said to tell you she's sorry for shooting you like that last night."

"Heh heh heh...It's fine," Shouhei said with a sheepish look. "I was just shocked since it came speeding towards me so fast."

"Yeah, well, if you saw it coming then it wouldn't be an effective Stinger for her," Mei said, turning back to the papers.

"Now that I think about it, Narasaka-senpai said something kinda like that as well."

"Oh yeah, he seemed pretty pissed since he had to Bail Out because of her," Yoneya said as he ate what was on his tray. "He really does hate her a lot, doesn't he?"

"That's to be expected. He is one of the Snipers who hates her style."

"I've only really seen her in practice, but I've heard multiple Snipers say they hate her style while others seem to be fine with it," Shouhei said with a confused expression. "Why is that?"

"It's because she can handle herself in a one-on-one fight." Mei didn't need to look to know that the boy was even more confused than before.

"What she means is that Suzume-chan is a Sniper who doesn't actually need to hide after firing a shot," Yoneya said, knowing that Mei wouldn't continue. "She fires using Lightning and that usually does her opponents in quickly, but if it doesn't then she wraps a Scorpion around her finger and uses Teleport to deliver a fatal blow to them."

"Wow. I didn't know that. But wait, couldn't people just use Shield to block the Lightning attack?"

"They could try, but it would fail. Unlike when most Snipers fire a shot using Lightning, she somehow is able to make the shot smaller by the time it reaches the person and it pierces through a Shield as if it were a needle going through a piece of paper. On the down side, if you know she's going to shoot at you, you can dodge the shot since it's even smaller than a regular shot. But that style, coupled with her Side Effect, is pretty tricky to get away from."

"Most Snipers who know about her style either hate her style - because it seems too much like an Attacker - or are fine with it because it's a style she has made for herself," Mei said, putting the papers down and taking a quick drink. "So which one are you, Shouhei?"

"Hm...I can see where Narasaka-senpai and the others are coming from, but...I don't really mind that way. I doubt Narasaka-senpai or I would be able to pull off something like that without lots of training, but it seems to work for her, so it's fine." Shouhei looked up to see a grateful look on Mei's face and couldn't help but blush a little bit. "But I am wondering where she got the idea to use Scorpion like that."

"Oh, I had asked her that before and she said she got it from some manga she read," Yoneya said with a slight laugh. "She said the weapon the character used was called Suzumebachi, so she took an instant liking to it. Also, the character was some kind of ninja or something, so that is probably where her sniping comes from."

"I would expect as much from her..." Shouhei said with a sweat-drop.

"Hey, she's not the only special one in the squad. I don't know if you knew this, but the whole Tsukiko Squad has some crazy talents with their respective positions. Even Mei-san here has some crazy ability," Yoneya said, pointing at Mei. "She may be an Operator, but apparently she has a crazy Side Effect and that's why she always seems to be busy. Isn't that right, Mei-san?"

"I don't know what you're going on about. I keep myself busy because while Yuki-kun is stuck in bed, I have to make sure certain things involving his squad get done."

"Really? That's odd. I've been hearing a rumor going around that you use to be a field agent and was even A-Rank material with some crazy Trigger wielding skills."

"Well, wherever you heard that must be filled with idiots. I'm only associated with Border because Yuki-kun asked me to be his Operator. Before that, I was simply a regular school girl."

"If you say so."

"Mei-san, are you on break right now?" Takeshi asked, walking up to the trio. "Oh, it's you two."

"Hello to you too, Take-chan."

Takeshi stiffened at the name and his eye started to twitch in irritation. He looked at Yoneya with a smirk and said, "Hello, Spear-bastard."

"Take, stop being a turd. Yosuke, stop being a jerk."

Doing as they were told, the two settled for a simple glaring match while Shouhei looked at Mei with an confused expression.

He got along with her just fine, but he noticed that when she wanted other to listen to her they did so with no argument. Even ones who were older than her seemed to have a good amount of respect for and he knew that she was the only other person to really keep the rest of the Tsukiko Squad in line when Yuki was out. He found that off since she had a calming aura around her, yet everyone else seemed to see it as an intimidating one.

He had asked Yoneya and Natasaka before, but they said something along the lines of "I don't know, but she just seems like the type to run you through with pencil and not bat an eyelash about it."

The only people who seemed unaffected by this were people who knew here well, like Yuki, or people she seemed to get along with and not annoy her, like Shouhei himself. Even then, only Yuki and a handful others never seemed to be affected at all by her, but even he admitted to seeing something like what Yoneya and Narasaka had mentioned from time-to-time.

"By the way, Take, where is Toby?"

Shouhei snapped out of his thoughts when she started speaking and turned to Takeshi to hear his answer. Now that he thought about it, Shouhei did think it was odd to see the Shooter of Tsukiko without the Attacker being there to pick a fight.

"I don't know."

"Idiot. You already know he shouldn't be left to alone. You really want other squads to be bugging Yuki-kun because that idiot was harassing them?"

Takeshi seemed to deflate at the thought that his leader would be inconvenienced because he didn't keep track of his teammate. He didn't say anything, stood up and walked away to most likely find the Attacker.

"Those two idiots are seriously bothersome," Mei said with a sigh. "If it wasn't for the fact Yuki-kun is so nice, they would probably be..." Letting out another sigh, Mei gathered her stuff and stood up. "I'll see you guys around. I'm gonna go get some more work done. I've taken a long enough break."

"Right. See ya later."

"Bye, Mei-san. Try not to over work yourself."

Mei stopped and looked over her shoulder to give the brunet a small smile before thanking him for his concerns. After throwing away her empty cup, Mei made her way to the exit, leaving the two Miwa Squad members there.

"That might be the reason..."

"Did you say something," Shouhei asked, looking at Yoneya.

"Nope. Just muttering to myself."

* * *

QOTC: Which Miwa Squad member is your favorite?

* * *

 **And there you all go! I hope you all enjoyed. If you didn't then that just means I didn't do a good enough job.**

 **This chapter was...easier to write than I thought it would be. There's no much to it and is pretty much a filler kind of chapter, but oh well. While it was mainly focused on Mei, I thought I would do a little recap of Suzu's sniping style since I feel like it was all over the place in the last chapter.**

 **Now I have a question for you all. Would you like to see Tsukiko Squad's back stories/when they met Yuki and formed a squad in a single side story fic, separate side story fics, or just in (flashback) chapters that revolve around the characters?**

 **That's all there is to it. So until next time, peace!**


	6. Toby Awdry

**Hello one and hello all! Here is number 6 for you all! Hope you all enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: Don't own world trigger**

* * *

 **Chapter 6:** Toby Awdry

* * *

 **BANG BANG BANG!**

"(Hey! Idiot Shooter! Get your ass out here now! We're gonna be late for school!)"

Toby tapped his foot on the ground impatiently as he waited for Takeshi to open the door for the two of them to go to school. He would have already left, but Yuki had told them before that they should 'get along and go to school together' since they both were in the same class, we neighbors and teammates.

Not only that, but he didn't even _want_ to go to school since they wouldn't allow him to wear the hat Yuki had given him. They said the same thing about Takeshi's scarf, so the two could always agree that it was 'a stupid rule that won't let [them] wear what Yuki(-senpai) had so kindly given [them]' and made them put the items in the bag.

After fixing his hat so that more of his brown locks were showing, Toby decided to knock one more time. Just as he was about to knock again, the door opened and Takeshi's came out, fixing his his scarf.

"It's about damn time. Why the hell do you take so long anyways?"

"Not that it's any of your business, I set my alarm just a little before you start banging on my door." Takeshi stifled a yawn that Toby had to admit make him look like a cute kitten. "I like to have as much sleep as I can get. I _do_ have to deal with people like you and that mutt after all."

"You really _are_ like a kitty..."

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

"Not that I particularly care, but why were you more mad than usual? Usually you don't bang on my door that harshly," Takeshi's asked, giving a sideways glance towards Toby.

"Oh! Is because that damn Suzume was bragging about how Yuki chose _her_ to help Yuuichi and the Arashiyama Squad instead of _us_! Aren't you mad about that!?"

"Yes, but it was Senpai's choice to do that, so I can't complain."

Toby clicked his tongue, but left it at that. While he was still mad about the incident, he knew that Takeshi was right. If their captain had only asked Misaka then there was a reason for it.

Now that he thought about it, he would have been the least helpful between the three of them. While he heated to admit it, he wouldn't stand a chance against Izumi's shooting abilities, and if he got hit by Miwa's Lead Bullets then he would have been even more useless than a rock. Not only that, but Misaka had more experience dealing with snipers and could easily coordinate with the Arashiyama Squad than he could.

While he was close to most of the #5 A-Rank squad, he could only work well with his own squad since they knew more about him and his Side Effect than anyone else.

That being said, he would have still liked to help them out since that particular squad was one of the first ones to not judge him by his appearance right from the start. The only one who was wary of him was Kitora, but after an incident, and multiple joint defense duty, she warmed up to him enough to where they could have arguments that had no malice in them.

"Hey, Tobs, you remember we have defense duty today, right?"

Toby snapped out of his thoughts when he heard Takeshi start talking to him again. He blink a few times before realizing they were at their school already and being greeted by a few students.

"Oh yeah. I forgot about that." Toby put his arms behind his head and continued walking. "Is it a joint one or is it just us?"

"It's a joint one with Arashiyama Squad. Sadly, Senpai said he hasn't been feeling too well, so he's not gonna be coming with us."

A solemn atmosphere came over the two. They had been told about Yuki's sickness when they had met him, but instead of getting better over time it seemed to get even worse. They hated seeing the person that had helped the whole squad before seeming to slowly deteriorate. What made it worse for them was the fact he would always smile through that pain as if nothing was wrong.

"We should go see him after we're done."

Takeshi simply nodded his head as they both made it to their class and went to their respective seats, which happened to be next to each other in the far corner of the class. They both too, off their respective accessories and put them away in their bags.

The two stayed silent and did their own things until the bell rang a few minutes after they walked in.

"Good morning, class. Hope you're all ready for yet another _wonderful_ day of class," the teacher said as he walked into the room. He was a tall man with black hair who wore a track suit with the sleeves rolled up.

"Sensei, Toby and I have defense duty later on," Takeshi said with his arm raised.

"Alright. You two can leave during lunch time."

"Tsk. I don't get why they get special treatment. Their squad can't do anything without their leader and even he's such a loser that he can't even deal with a small sickness."

 **SLAM!**

"(You damn bastard! Don't talk about our captain like that unless you want me to stab you!)"

"(Awdry! Watch what you say!)" the teacher yelled, making Toby glare at him before sitting back down. "And Inushiba, you should have more respect. I've met their captain before and not only is an A-Rank, he is actually able to keep those two pests in the back in line."

The rest of the class were giggling while the two 'pests' just muttered stuff under their breaths.

"Hm. Meeting that loser once doesn't mean anything. I've met him before and he doesn't look like much."

Seeing that both Toby and Takeshi were about to react to this comment, one of the students raised her hand and said, "Akasora-sensei, you were a part of Border before?"

"Hm? Oh. Yeah. I left about a year ago. I was, and still am, pretty close to Masafumi...Ah. I mean Director Shinoda."

'That explains how he met Yuki(-senpai).'

"Akasora-sensei, can you tell us more about when you were in Border?" the same girl said with a fascinated expression.

"Well...I guess I could tell you guys some stories."

* * *

"Should we go now, or not?" Toby asked as he and Takeshi sat on the roof of their school.

They were enjoying the outside scenery with the Attacker sitting down and eating a chocolate bar while the Shooter was standing with a mint flavored ice-cream cup in his hands.

"After lunch. We can make it there in time if we walk a little fast."

"Would you look at this, the two 'pests' are eating together. You know, for people who hate each other, you two sure are buddy-buddy."

The two didn't even need to look at the voice to know that it was Inushiba standing before them.

Ever since the two had been put into the same class, this person had been bugging them for no apparent reason. It was worse when he found out they were in Border. He would tease them over pointless things like Takeshi wearing oversized clothes or Toby for being 'stupid enough to move to Mikado City.'

The two didn't pay him any mind since they know 'more annoying people that can actually provide a bite with their barks' in Border and saw no threat in this one person. They would admit that he annoyed them by simply talking, but never really cared about his presence.

They did find it funny when he ran away with a trail of urine after being glared at by Mei and sweating bullet another time when Misaka had her Hidden Stinger in his face. The best time for them was when Yuki had gave him the creepiest and scariest smile they had ever seen and caused the bully to pass out with both urine and feces being smelt and seen.

The two smiled at the memories of those times, but were interrupted when they heard him start talking again.

"Why the hell are you two smiling? Let me guess, you were having those gay thoughts about your oh-so-great captain?"

This had seemed to get the two's attentions as Takeshi started glaring at the other male and Toby quickly stood up. They were fine when he was just saying stuff about them, got offended when he made fun of the people they knew, but were ready to beat him when he started talking about Yuki.

"We were smiling because we remember that your face resembles a clown's, right down to that fat red nose of yours," Takeshi said smoothly, making Toby let out a laugh. "Ah. Wait, I take that back. I forgot I would be insulting all clowns in the world if I said that."

"Why you...!"

Inushiba grabbed Takeshi by his collar and lifted him in the air to where the smaller one's feet were off the ground.

This didn't seem to affect Takeshi as he simply stared down at the bully with a bored expression. He has been through enough stuff before even entering Border, so something like this was nothing to him. As he stared down at the taller male, he saw that the bully had reeled his arm back and was ready to punch him, but...

"Hey, you bastard...Did you really think I would just stand here and let you hit him?"

Takeshi took a sideways glance to see that Toby had a strong grip on Inushiba's arm and looked like it was only getting tighter. He let out a small sigh as he knew what was going to happen next.

Toby pulled the arm back, along with the boy, and reeled his own fist back to land a solid punch on Inushiba's stomach. He landed three more blows that sent the taller boy to the ground, coughing and even vomiting on the ground.

"Touch him again and I'll make sure you won't _ever_ be able to get up again. Got it?" Toby looked down at Inushiba with a dark look that Takeshi had only seen a few times. "Now get the hell out of my sight, (you damn, disgusting pig.)"

Following the orders, Inushiba stumbled around before running to the door as fast as he could.

"I didn't need your help, you know. I could have easily gotten out of his grip," Takeshi said with a bored voice, yet it had a grateful underlining tone to it.

"I know. That guy was just bugging me. Not only that, but I'm sure Yuki wouldn't be happy if I didn't defend you from that turd." Toby continued to have his back to Takeshi as he muttered, "Besides, you're my teammate, so of course I would help..."

"I'm sorry, I couldn't hear that last part. What did you say?"

"Nothing! Now let's get going! If we leave now, I'm sure no one will figure out we were involved!"

"Is that so?"

Toby started sweating bullets and he turned around slowly to see Akasora right behind him with a creepy grin on his face. He quickly hid behind Takeshi and started shaking in fear of the consequences that may occur.

"Hm. Looks like I was too late. Oh well." Akasora looked at Toby with a raised eyebrow before asking, "So did you get a good hit on the little turd?"

"...Um...Huh?"

"Yes, he did. Three in fact," Takeshi answered, calm as ever. "Made him vomit and everything."

"Nice going." Akasora stood up straight and the three heard crack coming from his spine. "Welp, you two should get going now. By the way, are you working with anyone today?"

"Arashiyama Squad."

"Ah, I see. Well, have fun and remember to finish your homework."

"Alright, sir."

"Wait, so I'm _not_ in trouble?"

* * *

"Seriously!?"

 _"Yes, I'm serious."_

"Why the hell did she have to get sick!?"

 _"Just deal with it. It's not that bad, so she'll probably be over it after getting enough sleep. Besides, you two can have some 'alone time' together."_

"Look, Mei. You're a great Operator and all, but we already had to deal with more than enough harassment today."

 _"Inushiba?"_

"Inushiba."

 _"Fine. I'll leave you two alone for now."_

"Thank you."

With that, the line was cut between the two available members of the Tsukiko Squad and their Operator. They had just been told that not only was Yuki feeling sick, but Misaka had also caught a minor sickness.

Toby let out a long sigh as he and Takeshi went to meet up with the Arashiyama Squad for duty. They were a little bit early, but no one was complaining since it wasn't every day you would see Takeshi early to something.

"You shouldn't be sighing like that. I makes you sound like you don't _want_ you be on duty."

"Shut up, Ai," Toby said, not even bother to look behind him.

"Hm. Show more respect. _Kitora-san_. I think even someone like _you_ can say it. Give it a try," Kitora said as she walked up to him.

It was times like these that amazed others. Not only was Kitora basically going down to Toby's level, but she said it so smugly that it seemed odd for the girl who always seemed stiff and serious.

"Hello, Arashiyama-san, Tokieda-senpai," Takeshi said, deciding it was better to ignore the two a few feet away.

"Hello, Kotowari. Is it just you two this time?" Arashiyama asked, going along with Takeshi's idea.

"Yes. Yuki-senpai and Suzume-senpai are both out sick today, so it will just be me and Tobs today."

"Hey, Take! Why the hell are you still calling me by that damn nickname!? You already know that there's no point in saying it!"

"Because I can."

"Why you little...!"

"Now, now, why don't we get going?" Arashiyama already knew how these two were from long time experiences, so he didn't think it would be good to have them start fighting right now. 'How Yuki does it constantly is a mystery to me.'

* * *

"..."

"..."

"...I know it's good to split up and all, but..." Toby looked to the side and turned to point at Kitora yelling, "Why the hell am I stuck with the worse person!?"

"It's not like I want to be paired up with you either," Kitora answered calmly.

Just as Toby had said, they had all decided to split up with the teams being Arashiyama-Takeshi, Toby-Kitora and Tokieda-Satori. Toby was against it - and so was Takeshi - yet nothing was said as the two respected their senior's decision.

Toby let out a grumble as he rubbed his forehead. He didn't hate Kitora or anything, if fact he thought of her as a good acquaintance, but he fought with her as much as he did with Takeshi, so he wasn't particularly happy to be left alone with her.

'Hm. Maybe that's why Take likes her so much.'

"Let's just get this over with so we can be rid of each other."

"Couldn't agree more."

 **Gate Detected.**

"Finally! Some action!"

The two watched as a Gate opened up in front of them. They both got their Scorpion ready and Kitora pulled out one of her guns.

When the Neighbors were fully out, they saw that it was a three Marmods. Each one looked ready to strike, but so were their opponents.

"I'll take care of the one on the right and the one in the middle. You deal with the one on the left," Kitora said as she ran forward.

"Tsk. Don't tell me what to do."

Toby ran to face his opponent and quickly jumped into the air to dodge an incoming attack. He pulled out another Scoripon and used the power from his fall to land two good slashes on the Neighbor.

He went for another attack, but saw one of its legs go in for an attack. Not paying any mind to it, he continued with his attack and delt another few hits. Just as the leg was about to him, another blade came out from his arm and sliced the leg off.

The Marmod started smashing into buildings to try and get Toby off, but it had no effect since the brunet had stabbed both Scorpions into its back.

Deciding he spend enough time weakening it, Toby slammed his fist onto the Neighbor's back before smirking. He pulled his arm back and the Marmod was quickly shredded from multiple Scirpions that had come from Toby's fist.

Standing up straight, Toby turned to see how Kitora was doing, but went wide eyed when he saw the leg of one of the Marmods Kitora was facing slam into him and sent him through a building.

"Awdry, look out!"

Toby was about to get out of the rubble, but saw the same Marmod right above him. He turned his gaze from the leg to under the Marmod's belly. He was gone just before getting stabbed and was now under the Marmod.

"You damn, thing! Learn who you're messing with! Take some on my Hedgehog!"

Toby curled up the top half of his body just as multiple Scorpions sprang from has back and skewered the Marmod for multiple angles. Wanting to make sure that it was completely defeated, he walked to the front of it and out his fist to its core. Just like with the first Marmod, this one was shredded from the Scorpions that had came from Toby's fist.

Toby let out a sigh as he fell back and landed on his backside. He hadn't expected the attack from the second Marmod, so he was already planning on teasing Kitora about losing the second one she said she would defeat.

"Kotowari..."

"Heh. Looks like you can't even-" Toby stopped when he looked up to see Kitora looking down at him with a worried expression. "Hey, hey, hey. You shouldn't have that mind of expression when looking at me. We have a mutual understanding of not seeming to care about each other."

"..."

"Also, it doesn't matter if I get 'killed.' I would just Bail Out and end up by Mei's side. No need to be worried."

"...Don't say that..."

"Huh?"

Kitora grabbed Toby by his collar and lifted him up before saying, "Don't say 'it doesn't matter if I get killed'! It does matter!"

Toby went wide eyed. He knew where this was coming from, but he had thought she forgot about it. He had always wished he forgot about it, but never did. He got a small smile on his face and let out a sigh.

"Fine, fine. I won't say that. Now would you please let go of me? This isn't particularly a comfortable position."

Doing as she was told, Kitora let go. She stood up straight and turned the other way while she stuck her arm out.

Still smiling, Toby gladly took it and stood up before standing next to her. He looked at her directly in the face and said something in English.

"I can understand English, you idiot!"

 **BAM!**

* * *

QOTC: Favorite Arashiyama Squad member?

* * *

 **And there you all go. I hope you all enjoyed. If you didn't, then that just means I didn't do a good enough job.**

 **Okay, let's start with Kitora. Oc. I know. This was suppose to be a 2 chapter thing, but I ended up putting it into one chapter. Not only that, but that last scene wasn't even suppose to happen! Something way cooler was suppose to happen, but I ended up leaving it out!...Oh well. I know where I can put it in later chapters. Speaking of which...**

 **Rushed. That's how I would describe the latter part of this chapter. I didn't mean too, but I think I rushed it... _a lot._ I was thinking of this chapter as a sort of Filler Chapter, so that might be a cause for it, but I still don't like it. This is one chapter where I will really consider revising.**

 **Lastly, this will _not_ be the last time we see Akasora or Inushiba. Tell me you're thoughts on them...even if they hardly got any time.**

 **That's all. So until next time, bye folks!**


	7. Yuki Tsukiko: Part 2

**Hello and welcome back. Here is number 7 for you all! Hope you enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer:** Don't own World Trigger & Minoru is owned by yujonokage. He has a good WT one-shot up with this guy.

* * *

 **Chapter 7:** Yuki Tsukiko: Part 2

* * *

For the past five minutes, he had been going over everything and found new mistakes he had made throughout the day so far. It was all he could really do at a time like this, and he didn't even want to try to speak with the person near him.

"They are taking too long. Are you sure you messaged the right people?"

"It's not like I want to be here with you either, so please do be quiet and wait."

"Well, unlike you, I actually have stuff to do today, so I would like to get out as quickly as possible."

"This coming from an airhead. I do feel kinda insulted by it."

"Airhead...?"

Although he couldn't see it properly, Yuki could easily tell that Ninomiya's eye was twitching violently a small ways away from him. He knew exactly what to say to mess with the older male and relished in the fact that he could easily seem calm under any insults thrown at him.

"Isn't it _your_ fault we're stuck in here?" Ninomiya asked with an irritated tone. He didn't much enjoy the other company.

"If you didn't get in my way then we wouldn't be here," Yuki retorted as calmly as possible. "By the way, if you're complaining so much, where is _your_ phone?"

"That is none of your business."

"You forgot it, didn't you?"

"..."

"Thought so."

"At least I make sure mine is fully charged instead of having a few percent left."

The two fell back into awkward silence as they both thought of how long they had been in the small supply closet and when they would be getting out.

Neither cared for the other's company and wished to just get out to do their own thing.

"I think I heard voices over here!"

"This is around where he said they are, so it's probably them!"

The two perked up when they heard muffled voices from the other side of the door. They sprung up and started yelling. Well, only Yuki was yelling.

After another minute or two the, door was unlocked and the two that were previously stuck in the closet saw both Nasu Squad and Kuruma Squad standing before them.

"Thanks guys. I'm glad you were able to find us," Yuki said with a sigh of relief.

"We wouldn't have been in that situation if you were more careful. Try not to cause trouble for other like that again."

"Don't get I'm my way next time, Airhead."

The seven people watched as Ninomiya took his leave down the hall. They could see that his fists were clearly clenched as he walked away.

"You two really don't like each other, huh?" Kuruma said, turning to Yuki.

"I'll give him credit for leading and fighting, but his personality is the thing I don't like about him," Yuki answered as he crossed his arms. He left out a sigh and looked at all of them. "Anyways. Again, thanks. How about I pay for lunch?"

"Sure. But don't worry, we can pay for ourselves," Nasu said as they all started walking.

"So how did you two even end up in there?" Kumagai asked, looking at Yuki.

"Yeah! You were speaking pretty fast on the phone and it took a few seconds to understand what you said," Akane said with a questioning look.

"Ah. Sorry about that. My phone was dying and Ninomiya forgot his. As for how it happened... I'd rather not say. To put it shortly, there was running on my part, being a roadblock on Ninomiya's part and a misplacement on a bucket's part." He then looked at all six and got a small smirk on his face. "Not that I mind, but why did you bring Kuruma Squad?"

"They were over in this area and we asked them for help," Nasu answered, not seeming to get why the other was smirking.

"Oh~~? Why do I feel like there was a different reason?"

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing much." Yuki shrugged with a smug look on his face. "I'm just wondering what Suzu-chan would do if I told here you six were together the whole time."

"You wouldn't dare."

"Maybe I would~~ Maybe I wouldn't~~"

"Then I wonder what she would say if we were to tell her that you were in a supply closet with someone else," Murakami said, enjoying the reaction from the other.

"Touché."

* * *

The two squads couldn't help but feel like they were looking at a little kid that seem to have just been told that he could get anything in the world and it appeared in front of them.

The scene wasn't too far off.

"Mmm~~~ So good~~~"

They watched as Yuki took another spoonful of ice-cream in his mouth with a satisfied smile. They could have sworn they saw sparkles around his head.

"You really like ice-cream, don't you, Tsukiko?" Kuruma said as he took a bite of his macaroni gratin.

"His who squad says he has an addiction," Murakami said as he swallowed down his rice.

"It's not an addiction, Mura! I just like ice-cream...a lot."

"So an addiction."

"Say what you want, but the truth is that it's not an addiction."

"I've actually been wondering something," Kumagai said, pointing her fork full of meat udon at the older one. "Since when were you two close?"

"Actually, I was wondering that as well. I hardly see you two around each other," Nasu added in.

"That's because he's either at home or dealing with his squad," Murakami answered back nonchalantly. "I'm sure you've hardly seen him without any of them. This is actually a rare treat."

"Yeah, well, someone needs to keep them in line."

"Woof! Woof!"

The group looked over to see a Samoyed puppy run by happily as other agents just gave questioning looks. None of them had expected to we that and simply looked at each other.

Nasu and Kumagai went on to tell the others they had seen that dog before with its owner, but couldn't come up with a name.

None of them really said anything about the dog until Inukai ran by, asking if they had seen said pup go by. After pointing to the correct direction, Yuki excused himself to go help get the dog.

'Let's see. Even if it's a dog, it would still have it's own tastes. That being said...'

Yuki had a bag in his hand as he walked in the direction the dog and man ran. He could hear fast footsteps and Inukai's yelling. He shook the bag in his hand and smiled when he heard the small patting sounds of little feet making their way towards him.

The dog turned the corner and ran towards him as a fast pace before stopping in front if him in a sitting position.

Leaning down, Yuki picked up the dog and opened the bag before giving a piece to the dog.

"You got him... Thanks for that, Tsuki. I was watching over this little guy before he ran off."

"Sure thing. He did catch me off guard when he ran by though." Yuki just pet the dog as he munched on his treat. "Who's pup is he?"

"Oh. He's-"

"Haru-chan? Taka? What are you two doing in this area?"

The dog jumped from Yuki's arms and ran down the hall as the two humans turned to see a male that looked somewhat familiar to the recently promoted A-Rank.

"Oh, hey Mino. Taka kinda ran away when I wasn't looking and Tsuki here helped to get him," Inukai said as the new male made his way over.

"Really? Thank you for helping him," the person said with a small bow.

"It was no problem. I just used a simple trick and gave a small cookie to snack on. Don't worry though, the cookie was a simple one that pretty much anything could eat," Yuki said with a kind smile. "My name is Tsukiko Yuki. Nice to meet you."

"Hey. I'm Hatohara Minoru. This little guy is Taka," the person said, gesturing to the dog in his grip. "He's just a ball of energy most of the time."

"That's good. Dogs should be active. That's why I have a fight with Inu here once in a while," Yuki said with a small smirk.

"Hey!"

"Hahaha!"

"Hey, you said your name was Hatohara, right? Maybe that's why you seem familiar..."

"Well, we _are_ twins. That would make sense."

"Hm. Guess you're right."

Thinking it would be a better idea to actually go somewhere, the three humans and dog started walking as they continued to talk.

They talked about the event that had happened to Yuki and the closet earlier, resulting in Inukai getting a (hard) punch to the shoulder from Yuki. This was also the time when Yuki had found out that Minoru was actually pretty close to Ninomiya Squad.

Minoru and Inukai went on to tell him that it took a while for the other three to really get to being close to the former after what his sister did.

"Hey! Since you seem to be having one of your better days today, why not have a match with Mino?"

Yuki and Minoru turned to their friend and gave questioning looks. While one of them wondered what he meant, the other wondered where he got that idea from. Neither of them were against the idea though.

"I don't see a problem with that," Minoru said with a shrug.

"Sure. How does best two out of three sound?" Yuki asked, looking at the other male.

"Sounds fine to me."

"This'll be a good fight to watch," Inukai said excitedly. "Two strong A-Ranks with almost opposite fighting styles. Not to mention you're both All-Rounders."

"Alright, alright. Calm down now. It's just a simple match. Nothing to get super hyped about." Yuki was glad to see his friend really happy, so he didn't mention that it actually _wasn't_ one of his better days. "Why don't we get started then?"

"We can use the C-Rank booths since they're closest."

* * *

 _"Haru-chan says our fighting styles are opposites, so I'm really looking forward to this. Try not to let me down, and no holding back!"_

"Same to you. Then again, Inu says you're strong, and I don't doubt that."

The two ended their little conversation as they both got ready for the fight.

When they had made their way to the booths they had seen a small crowd gathering, but trying not to be obvious. They could tell they were currently the main attraction at the moment and didn't feel like losing with a crowd like that.

Taka had stayed down with Inukai as the two got front row seats by the screen to watch the fight happen. The two seemed excited to see how the match would end up and were basically bouncing in their seat when the two were going into the booths.

'Well, I guess it's time to start then...'

 **-1-**

The two stood in front of each other while buildings surrounded them. Neither paid much attention to the buildings though and simply got ready for the fight as the timer counted down.

Yuki pulled out his Kōgetsu and got ready to strike.

Minoru got in a fighting stance with no obvious Triggers out, slightly confusing Yuki.

 **Start!**

As the horn went off, Minoru disappeared, revealing one of his Triggers to be Cameleon.

Yuki looked around the area as he moved from offensive to defensive. He tried to figure out where Minoru would strike from and go from there.

'I've never even seen him fight, so my best bet...'

Nodding to himself, Yuki jumped into the air as a cube of Trion appeared in hand. The cube split up into smaller cubes and sped towards the ground before exploding and sending dust into the air.

He saw some movement in the smoke and got his blade ready as he fell. He tried to strike at the spot he figured Minoru was at and was met with two Scorpions being held by his opponent.

"Nice trick there. I didn't think you would use Meteora for something like that."

"Thanks, but this is a fight, so let's not talk much while we're here, okay?"

"You're right..."

Yuki jumped back just in time to dodge a kick from Minoru. He saw a Scorpion coming from the other's foot and looked as if he was examine the whole movement.

Minoru put a plate in the ground and used the Grasshopper Trigger to speed towards Yuki. Seeing that the other was ready for the attack, he put three more around Yuki and used them to get behind his opponent.

He was shocked and quickly blocked the multiple blades coming from Yuki's back. He hopped back he noticed that he did get small injuries from the attack, but nothing too major.

Yuki turned around and ran towards Minoru, but stopped when his opponent disappeared again. He figured the same trick wouldn't work twice on Minoru, so he just jumped onto one of the buildings as he thought of his next plan of action.

That didn't last long though as Minoru was right behind him, aiming a kick to the head.

Yuki brought his arms up to block, but was shocked when there was no blade coming from his foot.

Using the chance to his benefit, Minoru brought out a Scorpion and easily cut off one of Yuki's arms.

* * *

"Go Mino! Go Tsuki! Go Mino! Go Tsuki!" Inukai did his little cheering while he lifted Taka's paw each time he said a name. "This is only round 1 and they seem to really be going at it, huh, Taka?"

"Woof woof!"

"I'm glad I suggested this then."

" **Oh ho. So _you_ are the turd that suggested this, huh?**"

Inukai started swearing and slowly turned around to see Mei looking down at him with her arms crossed and death basically _radiating off of her_. He, like most, knew not to mess with her, so seeing her like this up close could only mean that he should be fearing for his life.

Which he was.

"O-oh... Hello there, Takaoto-hime..."

" **Inukai-kun... Why is Yuki-kun fighting right now...?"**

"W-well... Because I suggested they have a fight..."

 **"I see..."**

"So-"

 **BAM!**

"Ow, ow, ow..."

Inukai rubbed his head as he felt a good sized bump starting to form from the heave punch that had just hit him. He looked down to see Taka looking at him as if worried about him.

Mei on the other hand turned her attention to the screen just in time to see Yuki Bail Out. She let out a sigh and took a seat next to Inukai. She herself hadn't seen his opponent before and was a little intrigued about who the person was.

"So, who is that? If you're the one who suggested they go at it, you must know him."

"Yeah. His names Hatohara Minoru. He's just like Tsuki in the fact they're both A-Rank and both All-Rounders."

"Hatohara, huh? Interesting indeed."

"Hey now, don't tell me you're-"

"Tie."

"Huh?"

"This who thing will end up in a tie."

Inukai turned from the girl to the screen just in time to see bullets get shot at Yuki and weights appear on his jacket.

* * *

Yuki was able to use his jacket as bait for the Lead Bullets that hit. He teleported above Minoru and used the weight from his weighed down jacket to try and hit his opponent.

Seeing the attack coming, Minoru dodged to the side. He glanced at the small cracked cement from the jacket before trying for a kick with a Scorpion sticking out.

Yuki saw the attack coming and balanced himself on the leg before using his own to deliver a solid kick to Minoru's face, sending him back a little.

Not wasting a moment, Yuki ran forward with Kōgetsu at the ready. He was quicker than his opponent at this moment and was able to take a leg. He switched the arm he used to cut the leg off and got the opposite arm before jumping back from a Scorpion aiming for his head.

"Viper!"

"Viper."

Cubes of Trion appeared by both of them and clashed with each other as they flew around the area, leaving streaks of green in the air.

"Meteora."

Mixing in with the streaks of green in the air were explosions that make smoke and dust cover the area.

Minoru tried to see through the smoke and moved to the side as a few Asteroids sped past him. He went wide eyed when he felt someone behind him and turned just in time to get his head cut off.

 **Hatohara, Bail Out.**

 **-2-**

'That attack... I couldn't react quick enough... His movement also changed at the last moment...'

 _"Looks like it's a ties, huh?"_

Minoru got up and went to the monitor when he heard Yuki's voice.

"Yeah. Ready for round 3?"

 _"Yup. You know, this is more fun than I thought."_

"Fun?"

 _"Huh? You don't think so?"_

"No, no, that's not it. It _is_ fun, but... You don't really seem like the type to enjoy fighting."

 _"Is that so? I guess my image does give off that kind of vibe, huh? Hahaha."_

'His image and smile really don't fit someone who enjoys a fight. His fighting style is just full of tricks and gimmicks.' Minoru got a smile on his face as he stood up straight. "So, what do you say we start this fight already, Loki?"

 _"Loki? Hehehe. Yeah. Let's give everyone a good show, 'kay?"_

 **-3-**

The two beamed in in front of each other. They both wore smiles on their faces, but these smiles were different from their regular ones. This one was a smile of a person ready to go wild.

Yuki pulled out his Kōgetsu, but held it in a reverse grip.

Minoru got in a fighting stance, ready to bring out a blade at any moment.

"..."

 **Start!**

In an instant the two were right in front of each other with Kōgetsu at Minoru's neck and a Scorpion at Yuki's.

The two jumped back as cubes of Trion appeared by them.

"Viper!"

The two ran towards each other as the shots were fired and clashed with each other. They met in the middles and weaves through each Viper shot and each other's attacks with such ease that someone would think they had fought dozens, if not hundreds of times before.

"Meteora!"

A cube of Trion appeared above their heads before firing off smaller cubes to the ground, causing explosions all around.

Not backing down, Minoru lifted his leg and was able to kick Kōgetsu out of Yuki's hand and send it flying up on the air. He took his opponent moment of being unguarded to try and land a kick with a Scorpion sticking out, but quickly used Grasshopper to go into the air before getting screened by the multiple blades coming from Yuki's chest.

Using the momentum of his fall, Minoru tried a drop kick, but instead of aiming for Yuki himself, he tricked the other by landing just behind the new A-Rank and landing a Scorpion-Kick to his side.

When all the smoke cleared, Yuki stood up and dusted himself off with no visible injuries. He saw Kōgetsu finally hit the ground and stab into the ground.

What had happened was that just before impact, Yuki had put up a shield to block the one strike and only take damage from the force of the attack.

"Such little time and this fight is really great," Yuki said as he looked at his opponent.

"Agreed. I'm having a good time with this," Minoru answered with a grin.

"That being said..." Yuki put a hand under the hair covering his left eye and put it behind his ear. "I hope you don't hold it against me if I spice things up a little."

"I just hope you add enough spice." Minoru got back into a stance. "Now let's continue. Stealth on."

Yuki got in his own stance as he looked around the area. He thought of using Meteora to bomb the area again, but figured that would just use up Trion.

 **BAM!**

Yuki lurched forward as something slammed into him from behind. He got another hit from his side. These attacks continued as he tried to predict where the hits would come from.

'That's right... He doesn't need any other Triggers since hand-to-hand combat is up his alley... Alright then...'

Closing his eyes for a moment, Yuki focused on the small amount of space around him before opening his eyes. Multiple blades come from his body. He felt a small amount of pressure on some of the blades and quickly turned with a single Scorpion in hand. He slashed at the air and jumped back in time for Minoru to appear again and try to attack.

Minoru used Grasshopper and rushed at Yuki. Just before reaching Yuki, he slammed his foot on the ground and spun on it to slam his heel on Yuki's side, but noticed that a Shield was up. Thinking quickly, he switched feet and was able to kick Yuki's feet out, sending him to the ground with a thud.

"Looks like it's over," Monoru said as he raised a Scorpion over his head.

"This isn't some kind of manga, you know."

 **BANG!**

Monoru went wide and moved to the side as Yuki lay on the ground with a Lightning in hand.

'Why does he have that?'

"You know, my squad it very... _unique_ when it comes to fighting," Yuki said as he stood up. "Out Sniper uses a Scorpion and fights close range fights with a Lightning like it was a Gunner Trigger, our Shooter fires odd amo, and our Attacker makes Scorpions come out of odd places... I learned all of their attack patterns and now..." he brought a Scorpion out, but only around his middle finger, "You're basically fighting my who squad."

"Loki was the perfect name for you..."

The two ran forward once again with Vipers flying around again. They traded blows from a Stinger in the arm to a Scorpion taking a leg. A punch to the stomach to a kick to the side. A shot to the face to a Lead Bullet to the foot.

For most watching it would be hard to know what you should be watching in the fight.

 **CRACK!**

The Lightning broke apart.

 **THUD! THUD! THUD!**

Weights fell to the ground.

 **SSSSSSSS~~~~~~!**

Trion leaked from multiple areas.

This wasn't a simple fight for training or even one of rivals going at it. It was a fight to determine would is stronger and who would be the victor. A fight between two wild A-Rank Border agents.

"Teleport!"

"Grasshopper!"

...Sssssss~~~...SSSSSSSSSS~~~~

"This really was fun."

"For sure."

 **Hatohara, Bail Out.**

 **Tsukiko, Bail Out.**

* * *

"You idiot. You knew what would happen if you escaped and hey you _still_ came here and _fought_ with someone."

"Okay... Please calm down... I'm sorry..."

Inukai and Minoru watched as Mei continued to scold and choke Yuki.

Once the fight ended, the two shook hands and promised to have more matches later on. They were quickly met with an excited Inukai and lots of C-Rank agents swarming them and telling them how cool they looked.

Mei had stormed her way through them all and proceeded to shove a few pills down Yuki's throat and slamming her heavy fist on his head. That's when she proceeded to scold and choke him in front of multiple agents.

"Is she always like this?" Minoru asked, looking at Inukai while he petted Taka.

"Only when he doesn't listen to her. She isn't this harsh with others," Inukai said with a grin. "Anyone would think she does it because she's a tsundere."

"Hm. Not to sound rude, but I'm not Kitora-chan. I'm not a tsundere," Mei said as she crossed her arms. She then turned her attention to Minoru. "I will say that it was enjoyable seeing him fight someone like you though. It'll help me keep him in line for a while."

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"Nothing. Now if you don't mind," she grabbed Yuki's collar and started dragging him away, "I need to take this idiot home!"

"Bye!"

"Have fun! And good luck, Loki!"

* * *

"I said I was sorry. Please stop dragging me, Mei-chan."

"You're an idiot. Although I'm glad you made a new friend, you should watch your image here."

"Hm? Why's that?"

"Because Kushikage-san will be back soon."

* * *

QOTC: Who are your top 3 favorite A-Rank agents?

* * *

 **And there you have it! I hope you all enjoyed! If you didn't then that just means I didn't do a good enough job!**

 **I am sorry if the fights were bad, but I actually tried harder on them than most. My fingers actually hurt from typing so fast. Anyways, writing fights for my own characters are difficult enough, but writing for others' characters is even more difficult, so I hope I didn't do too bad.**

 **That being said, I super apologize to yujonokage if Minoru's fighting or character was off.**

 **To finish this off, I just wanted to say that you should check out yujonokage's account if you want to see more Minoru and a good one-shot with him.**

 **Now if you don't mind, I have to edit the other chapters to fit Minoru in them.**

 **Until next time, see ya!**


	8. Takeshi Kotowari

**And here is number 8 for you all! For this sub-par chapter, I've given you all a little present. Just go to my bio and go to Takeshi. I would have put this chapter up sooner, but I spent almost the whole day on the present. Hope you enjoy both it and this chapter. Now let's get started!**

 **Disclaimer:** Don't own World Trigger

(Note: the -1/2- is like a pseudo line break)

* * *

 **Chapter 8:** Takeshi Kotowari

* * *

'What day is again...?'

Takeshi let out a groan as he sluggishly sat up on his bed. He took a look around his room to see a plain room with the only thing really sticking out were the four bookshelves that surrounded and took up the space in the room. Each one was filled with different kinds of manga, light novels, CDs and DVDs.

Letting out a sigh, he got out of his bed and made his way to the bathroom that was connected to his room. As he got ready for the day, he remembered that it was Enlistment Day for the C-Ranks.

Normally he wouldn't care, but Yuki had asked him and the rest of the squad to go and check things out. He would rather be practicing than looking at some C-Rank rookies, but he was personally told by Yuki to watch how Yuma did in his testing.

What he didn't know was that Misaki was told to do the same thing with Chica.

 **KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK**

"Hey, Take, ya ready yet!? We're gonna be late if you don't hurry up!"

Takeshi let out a sigh when he heard the voice of his teammate of same age just outside his room. He had never liked the fact his apartment room was right next to Toby's, but Yuki had said it would be better if the two lived close to each other.

Taking a look at the time, he found that what the brunet was says was true. Not wanting to be late for something his leader had asked him to do, Takeshi quickly got his clothes on and out his scarf around his neck before heading towards the door.

When he opened the door, he came face-to-face with an irritated Toby and simply turned around to lock his door. When that small task was done, he walked passed his teammate and headed towards the Border HQ.

"You know you could at least say 'good morning,' or something," Toby said as he put his hands in his pockets.

"Why would I do that? I don't particularly care about you or the morning."

"(You're a real jackass, you know.)"

"Don't know what you said and don't really care."

Toby clicked his tongue as he started to fall behind Takeshi.

Takeshi couldn't help but sigh and give a small pray to let his day go smoothly. The other reason he had bother to go was because Yuki had told the whole squad that he had something important to tell them.

Slightly speeding up his pace, Takeshi ignored his teammate in favor of thinking about how well the C-Ranks would do.

"Hey, do you remember what your time was when they tested you?" Toby asked, easily keeping pace with his teammate.

The brunet didn't actually hate Takeshi, like most people believed. The Shooter's attitude irritated him, but Toby could always admit that he was impressed by the other's power and fighting skills. What he would _never_ admit was that he also secretly admired Takeshi for always staying calm and never seemed intimidated by anyone. Even when facing an irritated Mei, the boy seemed to be calm and collected.

"I think it was...Ten seconds."

"Damn. That's something alright, I've heard that Ai finished in nine seconds. Is that true?" Toby asked as he put his arms behind his head.

"Yeah. Kitora-chan got nine seconds and Kuroe at eleven seconds." Takeshi took a sideways glance at the brunet and continued on saying, "If I remember correctly, you finished in twenty seconds and Suzume-senpai made it in fifteen seconds."

"Yeah. Not my best time, but that was my first time...Wait, Suzume did that too!? And she got a shorter time than me!?"

"It was when she tried out as an Attacker. After a week or so, she started up with sniping."

"Hey, hey, do you know what Yuki's time was?" Toby asked, looming like an excited puppy.

"...No...No, I don't know. I had asked him before, but he quickly changed the subject." Takeshi got a thoughtful expression on his face as he out a hand on his chin. "Now I'm wondering what his time was..."

"Well we can just ask Mei. I'm sure she of all people would know."

"Wow. You actually thought of something useful."

"(Hey!)"

* * *

"I'm gonna go do some training. Gonna see if I can find Shun."

"You do that. Don't forget, Senpai said to meet him after we're done here."

"Yeah, yeah. See ya later."

"Same age my ass. He's gotta be at least five years younger..." Takeshi mumbled to himself as he entered the room. He had immediately found Osamu, Kitora and Karasuma by the railing and made his way to them. Kitora-chan, Torimaru-senpai, hello." He gave Osamu a small nod, but nothing more.

"Oh, hey Take," Karasuma said with a small wave. "Yuki tell you to come here?"

"Yes."

"Hello, Kotowari," Kitora answered back.

"Hello, Kotowari...san?" Osamu said, not sure how to address the other boy.

Takeshi simply gave the glasses wearing boy with am indifferent expression before saying, "The '-san' is unnecessary, Mikumo."

"Ah...Okay..."

"So what have I missed so far?" Takeshi asked as he looked down to see Yuma surrounded by other C-Rankers.

"Kuga beat the test with his time being 0.4 seconds," Osamu said, getting a raised eyebrow from Takeshi.

"Is this true?" Takeshia asked, looking from Karasuma to Kitora.

"Yes. His first time was 0.6 seconds and redid it and got 0.4 seconds," Kitora answered, not seeming to be fazed by this.

"Hm. Senpai probably got 0.1 seconds..." Takeshi muttered to himself.

"I think that's impossible, even for Yuki," Karasuma said as he started walking down the stairs with Osamu behind him.

"I see..."

Takeshi looked over to Kazama walking down the stairs as well. He couldn't help but look up where he came from and saw both Kikuchihara and Utagawa standing there.

Kikuchihara had seemed to notice him as the brunet had stuck his tongue out. This was met with a middle finger from Takeshi.

"The one I want to try...is _you._ Mikumo Osamu."

Takeshi turned his attention back to the bottom to see Kazama looking to Osamu.

"You want to fight Osamu?" Yuma asked, looking at the A-Rank.

"He wants to fight _who._..?" Kitora exclaimed, leaning on the railing more.

Thinking things were going to get interesting, Takeshi walked down the steps to get a front row seat to the on coming fight. He saw the C-Ranks murmuring to each other, but paid no mind to it.

"Head to the training room...Mikumo. I want to see what you can really do."

"You don't have to except, Mikumo," Arashiyama said, looking at the younger male.

"He can't force you into a mock battle," Karasuma said from next to Osamu. "You can always refuse."

"I accept. Let's do this mock battle."

Takeshi couldn't help the small smirk that appeared on his lips when he heard that. He took a seat on the bleachers and watched as the C-Rank rookies were ushered out and Karasuma was talking to Mikumo.

'Senpai said to watch how Kuga did, but I'm sure he also wants to know how Mikumo is,' Takeshi thought with a small chuckle. 'I guess it worked out in the end. Poor guy doesn't know what he's getting himself into.'

Both Osamu and Kazama entered the training room while Karasuma and Yuma sat with Takeshi to watch the fight.

 **Mock Battle, Start.**

Osamu brought out his Raygust with his left hand while a cube of Trion appeared under his right.

"I see. You use Raygust as a shield. You're a defensive Shooter," Kazama said as he started to fade away.

Without any warning, Kazama appeared in front of Osamu and stabbed him using Scorpion.

 **Trion Supply System destroyed. Mikumo down.**

 **-1-**

"What an idiot. There's an infinite amount of Trion in Training Mode. You can use Chameleon _all day,"_ Kikuchihara said from up above. "This isn't worth watching."

"So says you."

The brunet looked down to see Takeshi giving him a side glance and a smirk in place. He knew that the Shooter was whispering since Utagawa didn't seem to hear his words and let out a small sigh.

"This might provide some insight into some...interesting stuff. You can leave whenever. Actually, please do."

Kikuchihara furrowed his brows as the same phrase of 'Mikumo Down' continued to go off. He looked down to see Takeshi's smirk got a little wider. Deciding it was no use to try and answer, Kikuchihara simply flipped him off.

-2-

"Hm. I wonder how I would use it..." Yuma said after getting an explanation about Chameleon for Karasuma.

"Take, how would _you_ go about fighting someone using Chameleon?" Karasuma asked, not taking his eyes off of the field. "Both you and Osamu are Shooters, so I want to hear your opinion on this."

"You already know how I would fight in a real battle. You also know it's pointless to ask stupid questions when you know that my 'shots' are different from any other person's."

"...I guess you're right."

"Asteroid!"

Takeshi looked down to see Osamu shoot out in one direction and end up getting hit by Kazama from behind.

He couldn't help but let out a sigh as he heard another comment for Kikuchihara above. Although he didn't have much faith in Osamu to actually _win_ , he still thought that it would be a little more interesting than what he was seeing.

"Karasuma-senpai, please make them stop," Kitora said, walking up to them. "I can't bear to watch this."

"Then _don't_ watch. No one is making you watch," was what Takeshi wanted to say, but held his tongue in order to make sure he didn't somehow end up on Kitora's bad side.

"It's too soon for Mikumo to be fighting an A-Rank agent. He doesn't stand a chance."

"You're worried about him?"

"Wha-!? That's not what I mean!"

"Osamu doesn't think he can win either, " Yuma said nonchalantly. "He's gaining experience for the future."

"'It doesn't matter if I lose'? That's just loser talk. You can't learn how to win unless you fight to win."

Hearing this, Takeshi held his scarf tightly as a memory came back to his mind. He turned to Kitora with cold eyes and said in a colder tone, "It doesn't matter how profound that is, it isn't always true. If I hear you say that again, I will personally show you what I mean."

Noticing what he said, how he said it, and to _who_ he said it to, Takeshi turned back to the fight with a blush of embarrassment and an apology.

He started getting deep into thought and was only pulled out when he heard the sound of 'Last Battle. Begin!' He looked down to see that the fight had started and something seemed off with Osamu. He couldn't tell exactly what it was, but it made Takeshi get a small smile on his lips.

He went a little wide eyed when he saw small particle-like Trion floating through the training room. He mentally admitted that he was the slightly impressed with the glasses wearing boy's strategy. He noticed he wasn't the only one shocked and impressed by this.

He saw Kazama reappear and start cutting the Slow Moving Buckshots (as they all had come to call them) using Scorpion with ease.

He was surprised again when he saw Osamu use Raugust's Thruster to launch himself at Kazama. He was on the edge of his seat when Kazama was pushed against the wall and Osamu's Raygust trapped him in to leave enough time for Osamu to shoot an Asteroid in the whole he had made.

 **Relay System severed. Mikumo down.**

'I was right...This was interesting...'

 **Severe Trion loss! Kazama down!**

 **Mock Battle over! Mikumo Osamu zero wins. 24 loses. One draw.**

"He managed a draw," Kitora said I'm astonishment.

"He didn't win, but he pulled off a good fight," Karasuma said as he stood up.

"It was interesting," Takeshi said as he followed down. He walked over to where Osamu was being congratulated.

"He's weak. He's borderline in Trion and physical ability," Kazama said, loud enough for all to hear. "I don't feel the potential in Jin's support. But...He knows his weaknesses...I don't dislike his style...of fighting using wisdom and creativity. See you around, Mikumo." With that, Kazama took his leave with his squad.

Karasuma walked forward and said, "You showed gold insight in that last round."

"Thanks to your coaching."

"But...Losing twenty times to win once would usually get you nowhere."

"I-I know..."

"On another note, you seemed to be really into that last fight, Take," Karasuma said, looking at the younger male.

Not saying a word, Takeshi walked up Osamu and looked in straight in the yes before saying, "It was an interesting fight...Second, maybe third to when I see Yuki-senpai fight...If you need any help...You can just ask me...You know, if Torimaru-senpai is busy..."

"A-ah! Thank you, Kotowari!"

"...Takeshi is fine..."

The two members of the Arashiyama Squad and Karasuma got smiles on their faces at hearing the conversation. It had taken them a while to be that close to Takeshi, so seeing that Osamu was able to do it with a single fight made them think the more powerful Shooter was willing to let more people in.

"Of course Yuki-senpai would have had a better fight and actually _win_ , but I guess this is fine for someone like you."

Although, they could be wrong.

"Mikumo, we've got a problem. It's your teammate."

* * *

"Honestly, that Chika-chan...Looks like I need to find a new Trump Card..."

"Seriously? You've all that Trion and you're saying you're just going to toss it all away?"

"Dude, I was kidding. My Trump Card may be similar to Chika-chan, but I've improved it a lot. It's way more awesome than it was. Although, it still amazes me that a tiny girl like her has that much Trion."

Misaki and Takeshi were having a normal conversation while sitting at a table. After checking out what the problem was, Takeshi were surprised to see that Osamu and Yuma's third teammate had blown a hole straight through the building and didn't seem winded in the slightest.

He had asked Misaki what happened and was told that Chika had used an Ibis and simply took a shot. The effect was the hole that made him gap for a few seconds.

"So what happened with Yuma-kun?"

"He did well, but..." Takeshi saw from the corner of his eye a lone Megane sitting by himself with a shake and stood up. He made his way over and stood next to said Megane. "You look awkward. Mind if we sit here?"

"N-no...Go ahead..."

"Hello, Osamu-kun," Misaka said as she took a seat next to Takeshi.

"Ah. Hello, Misaki-senpai."

"Please, just call me Suzume."

"To answer your question," Takeshi said, looking at Misaki. "This guy here showed me an interesting fight today."

"Now that you mention it, all that whispering around seems to be about Osamu-kun here," Misaki said, taking a glance around them. "So, is it true that you-"

"Hey, hey."

The three turned to see a boy looming younger than Osamu and Takeshi standing next to the glasses wearing boy.

"I want to ask you something."

"Why the heck are you here, Midorikawa? I would have thought Toby would be trying to slice you up," Takeshi said with narrow eyes.

"I just wanted to ask this guy something, is all," the boy said with an innocent expression. He then turned his attention back to Osamu. "That emblem. Tamakoma, right? Are you from there?"

"Huh? Oh...Yeah. I enlisted at HQ first, but I transferred to Tamakoma."

"Transfer...? Why? How'd you transfer?"

"There were a lot of factors. But a guy at Tamakoma called-"

 **SLAM!**

"Mikumo, stop talking. Midorikawa, what is it that you _really_ want from him?" Takeshi asked with cold eyes.

Osamu was shocked by Takeshi's outburst and how lifeless his eyes seemed to be.

On the other hand, Midorikawa smirked and said, "I just wanted to know if this guy would want to have a Solo Rank War."

'Where the hell is that idiot when you need him?'

"We can use the C-Rank booths. We just won't take any points from trainees," Midorikawa said, still looking at Osamu.

"Mikumo, let me tell you now...Don't take up this fight," Takeshi said, now glaring at the younger male. "This little _mutt_ is just playing you."

"No. I say we let these two have at it," Misaki said, looking at Midorikawa with a grin. "I kinda want to see what Mikumo-kun can do if he gave _you_ an interesting fight."

'I really hate these people at times like this.'

* * *

QOTC: Are you ready for the new year?

QOTC2: What World Trigger fight 'interested' you the most so far? (I mean in the canon manga/anime)

* * *

And **there you all go! I hope you enjoyed! If you didn't them that just means that I didn't do a good enough job!**

 **I'm gonna say this now, this chapter gives me mixed feelings. This was kinda just to give Take some time, yet I took away from Osamu vs Kazama too much. Oh well. What's done is done. If you want another reason for this sub-par chapter then it's because it's 2 in the morning and I'm tired.**

 **That's all there is to it. Until next time, ta-ta!**


	9. Tsukiko Squad: Part 2

**And here is number 9! Would have been up earlier, but I had ended up watching Jurrasic World with my brother and his girlfriend...Didn't think I would like it until I saw it. Anyways, let's get to the chapter!**

 **Note: For those of you who have already read this chapter, the reason I'm repos ting it is because I changed out Number 6 for a new chapter and moved the real one up to Number 8. Go check out the new Number 6 if you want. That one focuses on Toby. (I am sorry for the inconvenience)**

 **Disclaimer: Don't own World Trigger**

* * *

 **Chapter 9:** Tsukiko Squad: Part 2

* * *

"Hey, Suzume-senpai...Why do you _really_ want to see this fight?"

"I already said the reason. I want to see a fight involving one of the few people who you are interested in."

"...Do you just want to see Mikumo get pumbled, or something?"

"Honestly, you don't seem to have much faith in Osamu-kun. Are you sure you weren't mistaken and interested in his opponent?"

"It was Kazama-san. I've already seen enough of his fighting style to know that I'm not interested." Takeshi continued to give a small glare at his teammate as they continued to walk with Osamu and Midorikawa while a large group of C-Ranks were behind them. "And why are you going along with that mutt's plan to try and humiliate Mikumo in front of these C-Rank rookies?"

"Just shut up and deal with it. Honestly, you should just trust in your great senpai," Misaki said with a hair flip.

"I do, but Yuki-senpai isn't here."

"SHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNNNNN!"

Takeshi and Misaki stood still while Osamu and the C-Rank trainees went wide eyed at the fact that Midorikawa was tackled to the ground at Mach speed by a gray blur. Both the blur and Midorikawa went sliding across the ground and everyone turned to see Toby on top of the younger boy.

"(Honestly,) That idiot."

"Shun! Solo War! Now!"

"But I'm already going to have a Solo Rank War with someone else."

"Alright, you idiot. Get off of the mutt before his flees bite you," Takeshi said, lifting Toby off of Midorikawa.

"Who are fighting?" Toby asked, ignoring the hand on the back of his shirt.

"He's fighting Osamu-kun," Misaki said, walking up to the two.

"Osamu...Osamu...Osamu...Who is that again?"

"That would be me..." Osamu said weakly while he raised his hand.

"Oh yeah, you...You _do_ know you're gonna get you ass kick if you fight Shun, right?" Toby asked, looking at Osamu.

"Um..."

"Honestly. You two don't have any faith in Osamu-kun, do you?" Misaki said as she walked up to the glasses wearing boy. She grabbed his arm and put it between her breasts while looking at her teammates. "I think he'll put up a good fight."

"Um..."

Osamu wasn't sure what was going. He wasn't use to Tsukiko Squad's antics and wasn't sure if he should listen to the two males or the female clinging to him. That was another thing about this situation. He couldn't really think straight when his are was being held captive by a pair of breasts.

Thinking it would be rude, and for the fact he hadn't been in a Solo Rank War in a while, Osamu decided to take the challenge.

This seemed to upset Takeshi as he had grabbed Toby's collar again and dragged him away saying, "I'm taking him to let off some steam. If you see Senpai, tell him I'm sorry for not being there."

"Is he going to be okay?" Osamu looked over, but was met with a slightly worried look from Misaka.

"Looks like we'll have to stay clear of that direction," Midorikawa said, looking in the direction the two older males went.

Both he and Misaki already knew how things would end up and knew that they would probably get an earful from Mei later on. Deciding it would be better to get things done with quickly, they led the group to the booths.

Midorikawa and Osamu left to get in one of the booths while leaving the group and Misaka behind to watch.

Misaki took a seat right in front of the screen and thought, 'Well, nothing I can do about it now. Might as well-' Her train of thought was cut off when she saw that it was already one win for Midorikawa. "No way..."

Another win for Midorikawa.

"Even with how weak he seems..."

Another win for Midorikawa.

"Osamu-kun should be able to..."

Another win for Midorikawa.

"Put up more of a fight than this!"

Another win for Midorikawa.

"Why the heck was Take interested in this megane? Honestly? He was trained by Torimaru and he's _this weak!?_ "

Misaki watched with a bored expression as Osamu's loses continued to go up. She found nothing appealing about him. Even when she visited Tamakoma before, she didn't find anything unique about him. She could tell Yuma was strong since he had beaten Konami once when they first met, and she saw how destructive Chika was with the Ibis, but she thought that Osamu couldn't be any better than any C-Rank rookies around her.

The losses finally came to an end with Yuma, Yotaro (riding on Raijinmaru) and Yoneya came up to her and Osamu came out if the booth.

Misaki watched as Yotaro berated Osamu then challenged Midorikawa for basically insulting the megane.

"Did you attract all these spectators?"

Misaki's attention went to Yuma, who was currently walking to Midorikawa. She couldn't help the smirk that quickly appeared on her face as she watched with interested eyes.

"No...They must've heard the rumor that he tied with Kazama-san." Midorikawa looked down at Yuma with a disinterested look. " _I_ didn't do anything."

Misaki saw as Yuma stared Midorikawa down and gave a reply that seemed to send a shiver down the younger one's body. Letting out a small laugh, she stood up and walked over to Yuma.

"Sorry, Yuma. These C-Ranks are here because of me." She flipped her hair and smirked down at the albino. "I guess they were attracted to my sexiness. Can't blame them though." She kept the smirk even as she herself was being stared down the same way Midorikawa was. 'This kid has nothing on Mei-san.'

"Oh...Okay." Yuma looked from Misaki back up to Midorikawa. "Either way, fight me, Midorikawa. If you win...I'll give you all my points. All 1508 of them."

"Just 1508? You're C-Rank. You're going to use a training Trigger?"

"Yeah. I figure that's enough to handle you."

Midorikawa jumped down from the floor above and said, "Fine. Let's do it. What do you want if _you_ win? 3000 points? 5000 points?"

"I don't want any. But...If I win...I want to hear more respect out of you."

"Okay. _If_ I lose, I'll act with the utmost respect for you."

"No, not me." Yuma pointed at Osamu as he finished with, "You'll treat _my captain_ with more respect."

'Osamu-kun's kindness reminds me of Yuki-san, but...the way Yuma goes about things is also similar to Captain's way...Maybe that's why Take took an interest in him...Or did he see something I didn't?...He was there when Osamu-kun supposedly tied with Kazama-san.'

 **Kuga, Bail Out. Midorikawa leads 1-0**

"So _that_ was your plan? Urg. Why the heck is the spear bastard here?" Takeshi asked as he and Toby walked up to Misaki and the others.

"Oh. You guys finally done?"

 **Kuga, Bail Out.**

"Yeah." Takeshi looked up at the screen with a bored expression that his teammates could tell was him actually being bored. "You just wanted to see Kuga go at it, huh?"

"Yup. While Kirin was busy I had to train him a little, so I wanted to see if he could match up to someone like Midorikawa."

"Well, it looks like the mutt's winning streak comes to an end here."

"What are you ta-"

 **Midorikawa, Bail Out.**

"He won't lose anymore," Yoneya said, getting the whole squad's attention. "He held put against our squad's attacks, four to one. There's no way he wouldn't be able to deal with Midorikawa **one-on-one**."

'That's news to me.'

"I don't know what his deal is, but...looks like that albino shrimp wants to pummel the heck outta Midorikawa."

"Mikumo, the reason why I didn't want you to fight him was because that mutt is like our own Attacker in that they are both too flashy. While you were able to counter Kazama-san, that was because he thought more strategically, while the mutt thinks, and fights just like I call him - a mutt."

"Hey, hey, I was suppose to explain these things to him, Laser-kun," Yoneya said, not seeming to actually mind the interruption.

"Well too damn bad. This is from one Shooter to another. Deal with it."

"So does that mean Awdry uses the same style as Midorikawa?" Osamu asked, looking at the two standing males.

"Hm! Yeah right."

"While they are both animalistic idiots..."

"(Hey!)"

"I will admit that while Shun is a mutt, our own Attacker is a **wolf**."

 **Round ten, over. Winner, Kuga Yuma.**

"I guess the training me and Kirin did with him paid off in the end."

"But you hardly did anything," both Tsukiko male teammates said with half-lidded eyes.

"Honestly!"

"Yuma. Megane-kun. Come with me. Kido-san wants to see you."

Everyone turned to see Jin walking up to the two from Tamakoma with his usual grin in place.

"(Yuuichi, you bastard! Why the hell did you send me a box of those damn rice crackers!?)" Toby yelled as he stormed over to Jin while Midorikawa did a little dance around the older male.

"Oh yeah. I was wondering that myself," Takeshi put in with a curious expression.

"I sent that to him since he seemed to want some enough to go to my room," Jin said, causing Toby to blush in embarrassment.

"You took some from his room?" his teammates asked with expression that basically screamed 'you really are an idiot, aren't you?'

"I was a little hungry..."

 **ZZZZZZT! ZZZZZZZT!**

"I'm gonna take this. You two try not to do anything stupid, got it?" Misaki said as she walked away with her phone in her hand. "Hello?"

 _"Suzume, it's me."_

"Oh, Mei-san! Hello."

 _"Yeah. Hi. Look, I was calling to tell you guys that Yuki-kun and I will be running a little late. We need to finish things up here then we'll be right there. Make sure Toby doesn't break anyone's bones by tackling them to the ground."_

"Well...about that..."

 _"Who was it?"_

"Midorikawa. But in the bright side, no bones were broken!"

 _"...We'll try and hurry up."_

"Alright. See you when you get here. Bye."

 _"Bye."_

"Alright then. Take, Toby, it's turns out-" Misaki turned around to see the ones from Tamakoma were gone and the four males were talking. "Where the heck did Jin-san and the other two go!?"

"They left for a meeting."

"So who was that?"

"It's was Mei-san. She and Captain are running a little late, but they will be here shortly."

"Alright. That give me a good amount of time for a fight with one of you," Yoneya said, looking at the three. "Midorikawa here doesn't want to fight, so I might as well fight one of you."

"Alright! Bring it on, Yosuke! I'll take you on!" Toby said, looking like a kid in a candy store.

"Actually, I was thinking I could fight your Shooter."

"Why would I want to fight you?" Takeshi glared at the spear user and turned away.

"I'm interested in seeing how that plays out," Midorikawa said, adding his own two cents in. "I've never fought Kotowari before and have never actually seen him fight."

"Really? Not even in the Rank Wars?"

"Let me rephrase that...I never _cared_ to see him fight before."

"Then why the hell would you care now? Besides, that just gives me more of a reason to deny." Takeshi was ready to walk away, but was stopped when he was grabbed under the armpits and lifted in the air by his teammates.

Both of them looked back at Yoneya and said at the same time, "We'll get him in the booth, so be ready to fight."

"...Alright..."

* * *

"I can't believe you took as long as you did."

"I already said I was sorry."

"I guess you did need some more practice with that new Trigger."

Both Yuki and Mei were quickly walking through the Border HQ while still greeting other agents around them.

The two had been busy with some training and lost track of time. Mei had called Misaki to tell her the two would be running late, but it was still later than what she had thought.

What didn't help was the fact that Yuki had another coughing fit which stalled them by another few minutes. It wouldn't have been that long, but Mei wanted to make sure her friend was actually able to make it all the way to the HQ without anything else happening.

After that, they had both thought that there was some outside force that wanted to make sure they didn't reach their destination as they had ended up finding a family of abandoned puppies. Yuki, being the kind person he is, couldn't resist taking all of them home and among sure they had everything they needed before having to start for the building again.

After they had made it inside the building, the two were hounded by other agents who we're making sure that Yuki was okay and well enough to be there. It took a single glare from Mei to push them back, but some of the more stubborn ones stayed to make sure before being threatened by Mei to back off.

"You'll make agent soon. I'll be looking forward to you making B-Rank."

"Thanks, Shinoda-san."

The two turned to see Osamu and Yuma talking to Shinoda off to the side.

Deciding that a few more minutes could hurt, they made their way to the trio.

"Hello, Shinoda-san, Mikumo-kun, Kuga-kun."

"Hello, you three."

Said three looked at the two and gave their greeting.

Osamu and Yuma had told the other three that they (the pair) should be leaving and took their leave. This left the three to stand there and figure out if they wanted to leave or not. (A/N: now I'm just doing the 'leave' 'left' thing on purpose)

"So what were you three talking about, Shinoda-san," Yuki asked, looking at the older man. "If you don't mind my curiosity."

"Not at all. I was simply wanting to know if Yuma wanted to be promoted. He denied and said he wanted to go about that as a regular C-Rank would." Shinoda gave a chuckle and said, "He's like you in that sense, Yuki."

"W-well I can see where he's coming from..." Yuki answered back with a blush of embarrassment and a bashful expression.

"But I am glad I can speak with you two right now."

"Oh? Why is that sure?" Mei raised an eyebrow and tried to come up with the reason for him wanting to talk to them right now.

"You see, there will be an invasion soon," Shinoda's expression was a serious one that out the two on edge, "and wanted to tell you two that...You two may have to end up fighting some tough opponents and 'remember' in order to defeat them."

Yuki gulped at hearing this while Mei simply narrowed her eyes.

"With all do respect, Sir, why are you telling me this? I am Yuki-kun's Operator, so I'm not gonna be out fighting."

"That's true, but we don't exactly know _when_ this invasion will happen. You may not be in a position to be an Operator." Shinoda noticed that Yuki looked uncomfortable and let out a sigh. "I know things will get...difficult when the fighting it over, but-"

"That's not really it." Yuki looked at the ground and bit his lip. "It's just that...I was going to finally out that condition we spoke about into action...but if there's going to be an invasion..."

"...I see...Yuma said that the possible invading countries would leave in a few days. If you can hold off putting that into action it would be helpful." Shinoda couldn't help the pity he felt when he looked at Yuki right now. He knew how important that condition was the the teenager, but all three of them knew how much more important this invasion was. "We need them to have their focus in the enemies, so it would be helpful if you held for those few days."

"...I know...You're right, Sir...I will hold off in telling them."

Both Mei and Shinoda couldn't stand seeing the saddened look on Yuki's face. They both knew the reason for his feeling that way and wanted to help him out, but also knew they couldn't do anything significant until either the possible invasion was over, or the possible invading worlds past by their own.

"Part one."

"Huh?" Both males looked towards Mei with confused looks.

"You can do part one of you condition today. We're going to go see them right now, so it's the perfect time. When everything settles down, you can do a comparison and see the difference. That's when you can do part two. How does that sound to you two?"

"Mei...Yeah. It sounds good."

"Hm. Leave it to the one with Multi-Task as a Side Effect to come up with something that works out for everyone." Shinoda smiled at the two and nodded his head. "Alright. As promised, you may test them and we'll figure out if they're ready or not."

"Thank you, Mei-chan! You too, Tora-san!" Yuki went a little wide eyed and blush again before panicking a little. "I-I'm sorry! I m-mean, Shinoda-san! O-or Director Shinoda-san!"

"Hahaha! It's fine. No need to apologize."

Mei gave a smile at the sight she hadn't seen in a while and gave her own little laugh.

The other two stared at her in a small amount of shock before getting smiles on their own faces.

"In want you two to promise me something." Shinoda saw that both were looking at him with curious looks and couldn't help the small feeling of pride grow in him. "Whether there's an invasion or not, _never_ lose those smiles. You have both worked extra hard to have them. I don't want to see you both lose them."

"Yes, Sir!"

* * *

QOTC: Which one (or order) is your favorite character(s)? Midorikawa, Yoneya or Shinoda.

(Mine is 1st) Shinoda 2) Midorikawa 3) Yoneya)

* * *

 **And there is number 9! I hope you enjoyed it! If you didn't then that just means I didn't do a good enough job.**

 **...Let's start off with that Takeshi vs Yoneya fight, shall we? I'm saving that for the next chapter along with another special fight.**

 **Next would probably be Shinoda. As you could tell by the QOTC, he's a character I really like (along with Rindo) so I wanted to put something else with him and Yuki. I'm not particularly sure how I did with that, so I'll let you guys decide whether you liked it or not.**

 **Lastly...If I start taking a little longer for updates then it's because either A) I'm working on more character picture for you all. B) I'm working on the separate back story fics for the squad. Or C) I end up going to sleep/doing something else and forget to make one.**

 **That's all. I hope you all enjoyed and continue to read this fic, along with the back stories for the squad when they come up. Until next time, bye-onara!**


	10. Tsukiko Squad: Part 3

**And here is number 10! Just a heads up, this one is written kinda oddly. On a different note, there will be oocness and kinda crackish near the middle. That part gets fixed at the end. You'll see when you bet there. I still hope you all enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer:** Don't own World Trigger

* * *

 **Chapter 10:** Tsukiko Squad: Part 3

* * *

It was a sight they didn't expect to see, yet weren't shocked in the slightest when they saw it. As a matter-of-fact, the two thought they migh as we'll go get something to eat, come back and _consider_ helping the victims.

The _wonderful_ scene Yuki and Mei had come to when they were going to meet up with their squad was as such: Yoneya having both Midorikawa and Takeshi in a head lock (and was clearly effecting their air intake) and Misaki on top of Toby's back while seeming to be trying to break his back.

The two felt sorry for the C-Ranks who were currently witnessing this, yet felt no pity for the victims as they could only guess what caused this scene to unfold. They would even out it past the group to cause the scene just for the heck of it.

Letting out a sigh, Yuki walked forward with Mei right behind him. He clapped his hands and spoke loud enough for them to hear to try and get their attention, but this seemed to have no effect on them.

"Alright now! Suzu-chan, please stop trying to break Toby-kun's back, and Yoneya, please let go of Midorikawa-kun and Take-kun!"

"Bunch of idiots. Seriously, where is someone like Miwa when you need him?" Mei said as she looked around.

"Shut up! We're busy you losers!" both Misaki and Yoneya said as they each threw some random that at Mei's head.

This was the wrong thing to do as a second later a dark aura could be felt around the whole area, causing the two to stop hurting their kouhai and slowly turned their heads. What they saw was something akin to a demon with glaring red eyes.

"Oh-ho? You two have _guts_." Mei cracked her knuckles while Yuki simply backed away slowly and motioned for the C-Ranks to do the same. "I guess we'll see what those guts look like when I tear them out through _every one of your holes_."

 **-1-**

"So why were guys causing such a scene?" Yuki asked as he looked down at the five people in front of him and Mei.

All five were sitting seiza-style and had lumps on their head, but Misaki and Yoneya were sporting _very fashionable_ marks all around their bodies. None of them looked at the two in front of them out of fear of a glare from the female Operator.

"Start talking, or I'll make sure what happened to Suzume and Yosuke looks like _a slap on the wrist_."

"Well...You see...What had happened was..."

* * *

"Hey, let me out, damnit! I'm not in the mood to fight that spear bastard!"

Misaki rubbed her forehead as she and Toby continued to hear Takeshi yelling from the booth he was in. They had just put in him there and she could clearly see that Midorikawa was getting bored on the lower ground.

She was trying to figure out how to get him to fight Yoneya, but bribes were a no-go with him, so she had to think of a different approach. This was hard for her only for the fact that she knew her teammate well enough that she could tell how stubborn he would be about it all.

"If you don't fight Yosuke, I'll tell Yuki and Mei that you did _that_ again, (ya hear me)?" Toby said nonchalantly.

Misaki looked at the brunet with a raised eyebrow. She was apparently the only one who didn't know what Toby meant, since he just said that both her senpai would know what he was talking about. She wasn't complaining though as long as it got Takeshi to fight.

There was a small silence in the room and the next thing the two knew, they heard Midorikawa calling them from the lower ground. They quickly made their way down to where he was and looked at the screen to see Yoneya and Takeshi facing each other.

"So how _does_ Kotowari fight?" Midorikawa asked, looking over at the other two. "Knowing your squad, I doubt it's like a normal Shooter."

"Meh. I guess you could say that. Unlike us two, he doesn't have much in style, he doesn't have a Side Effect and to most his fighting seems counterproductive," Misaki answered, turning to the A-Rank. Although, I will admit that he has skills."

"Hm~~? At least I know I wasn't missing much with his fights...Why does he have his hands in his pockets?"

* * *

Takeshi let out a sigh as he stood in front of Yoneya with a bored look. While he would rather have not been fighting, he didn't want to deal with the consequences he would have to suffer if Toby had told Yuki and Mei about his little secret.

There was also the fact he had already fought with Yoneya and that he was basically being used as a show for Midorikawa. It was bad enough he had a losing streak to the spear user with a 3:1 ratio, but he wasn't even in the mood for a fight.

"There's no point in just standing here. Let's get started." Yoneya readied his spear, but was met with another sigh. "Come on. This won't be any fun if you don't at least try a little."

"Why do you even want to fight me? Toby would have been a better choice if you wanted to have 'fun,' ya know." Takeshi put his hands in his pockets and jumped back a little. "I guess _I_ don't have a choice though."

He took a glance behind him and a plate for Grasshopper appeared behind him just as Yoneya charged at him with a spear. He flew into the air and looked down at his opponent. Three green orbs floated around his head before letting out an Asteroid each.

Yoneya jumped to the side, but instead of waiting for the other to fall down, he started running as a green beam if Trion followed him. He brought his spear up to attack, but quickly dodged to the right as another green Trion beam came at him from the front.

The two beams were gone, but the third one was right above him. Unlike the other two, when he dodged, the beam's end changed its direction and headed for him again.

'A Tomahawk, huh?'

Yoneya ran through an alleyway as the beam followed him in it. He used a trash can to block the attack and put up a Sheild as an explosion went off. He jumped for the alleyway onto the roof of the building and used Grasshopper to rushed at Takeshi.

Seeing the attack coming, Takeshi jumped back a little and looked passed his opponent. He could see the spear coming closer to his face, but shocked Yoneya when he appeared behind the older male and shot out three beams. This worked wonders as it was able to take off one of the spear user's arms.

Not wasting any time, Yoneya turned around and took a slash at Takeshi, which managed to give him a cut by his ribs. The A-Rank tried for another slash, but was blocked by a green orb.

An explosion went off, catching both fighters in it and sending them back with some damage.

Takeshi saw that Yoneya was a little dazed and took the chance to fire three more beams at him. Two of the beams were dodged while the third one was blocked by a Shield.

The Sheild turned out to be useless as multiple smaller beams came from the main third one and moved passed the Sheild, piercing through Yoneya.

 **Yoneya, Bail Out.**

* * *

"...I'm confused. What just happened?"

Midorikawa sat next to Toby while trying to figure out what he had just seen. He knew that certain ones like Meteora and Viper were being used when Takeshi was attacking, but that was even in question when he saw the three orbs.

"Well, _maybe_ if you _watched Take fight_ you would understand it better," Misaki said as she watched the two go another round. "Honestly, he's you're senpai and you don't even treat him with respect. But I guess that's asking too much when it comes to you."

"Yeah, yeah, now can you just tell we what was going on?"

"You said it yourself - he isn't like a normal Shooter if he's in our squad," Toby said with a slight pout. "I can't believe he didn't want to fight me..."

"Honestly, get over it. Anyways, Midorikawa, he uses the usual stuff like Asteroid, Viper, Hound and Meteoria, but he has the innate to manipulate his Trion...More so than most at least. Compared to most B-Ranks, he can mix stuff together easily to make stuff like Tomahawk. He's slower than people like Izumi and Rei-chan, but he's able to _weave attacks together_. Those beams are weaker than a regular shot, but they are also relentless and will pressure the opponent."

"..."

"Yes?"

"...What is this, some sort of crappy fanfic about an underrated manga where the author is running out of ideas for his own character?"

Misaki and Toby looked at Midorikawa like he was crazy while the author continued to think how he could fill up the word count.

"Okaaaaaaaaay then...Back to Take...Those orbs are basically his gun and amo all together, hence why that Meteoria explosion went off when it was stabbed."

"Now I remember why I don't care to watch any of his fights!" Midorikawa said as if he had a revelation. "It's because they're pretty boring!"

Misaki simply let out a small sigh and shook her head, she knew that the two didn't get along, but still thought the younger one would be at least _a little bit_ interested in his senpai's skills. Even so, she found that she really enjoyed shipping the two just as much as she shipped her own teammates together (Mei included).

The three continued to watch the two fight until the score was as such: Yoneya with 4 wins and 2 loses, Takeshi with 2 wins and 4 loses. They were approached by the two fighters with the older one grinning like an idiot and the younger one muttering something under his breath.

"So, how'd you guys like the fights?" Yoneya asked, not even trying to hide the smug tone in his voice.

"Boring. Not to mention I'm kinda disappointed that you lost to Takeshi," Midorikawa answered with a nonchalant shrug.

"It's not _my_ fault this spear-headed guy is too barbaric for me to get a good shot 24/7."

"You two, little turds! Now you just wanna bug me, dontcha!?" Yoneya grabbed the two of them by their shirts, brought them closer and got them each in a headlock. "Say that again, I dare you."

"Heh heh heh~~~"

Toby gave his female teammate an odd look before saying, "Yosuke, can you let them go? I don't feel like being forced to read more doujinshi about you three by Suzume."

"What!? That was a secret, you idiot!"

"OW! OW! OW! (UNCLE! UNCLE! UNCLE!)"

Toby started slamming his hand on the ground as Misaki sat on top of him and while bending his back too far.

On lookers simply turned their heads and walked away.

* * *

Sigh.

That was all Yuki did when he was done hearing the little story. He wasn't sure what to say, and it seemed like Mei just wanted to get this all over with.

"Okay...Shun-kun...Why were you trying to break the fourth wall?"

"I was bored."

"Take-kun, why did you start that up again?"

"Spur of the moment."

"Yoneya, were you _trying_ to make it so that Suzu-chan would make a doujinshi of you three?"

"No."

"Suzu-chan, what did I say about those doujinshi?"

"To stop making them."

"Toby-kun, what did I tell you to do when Suzu-chan makes you read her doujinshis?"

"To tell you as fast as I can."

"Good. I'm glad you remember. Now, would any of you like to have a solo war with me?"

Right after he said that, the five went wide eyed before _pushing each other_ out of the way and saying they had wanted to fight him.

You see my good readers, it had been a _long_ time since Yuki had _challenged_ someone to a fight. He would always accept a challenge, but never sent them out. Even then, he didn't try too hard and that caused the number of challenger to decrease.

Apparently the five were the only ones who had heard him say this as whispers started flating around and some B-Ranks that were around started to slowly inch their way towards the small group. They would have _loved_ to be challenged by the newly A-Rank agent, but they would accept a general fight with him as well.

Mei just watched on with a slightly bored expression. She could see that Yuki was actually enjoying the small amount of chaos the five were causing and this worried her a little bit. She was also wondering why he was asking the five of them when he had been planning on fighting his own squad.

"Alright! I beat all of you!"

Yoneya and the three B-Ranks muttered curses under their breaths as Midorikawa happily boasted about the fact he won at Janken. He even did a little happy dance that none of them _ever_ wanted to see again.

"Looks like I'm fighting you, Shun-kun," Yuki said with a smile that unnerved the other a little bit. "I can't remember, but have I fought you before? I'm pretty sure I've gone against Yosuke before, and I've obviously trained with my own squad..."

''Yosuke'?'

"I think this is our first fight. Every time I've wanted to fight you, you always seemed to not be feeling well."

"Well this time I'm feeling good, so this will be our first fight. Let's both do our best, okay?" Yuki continued to smile, but not his usual kind one. This one seemed to have something under it that none of them could figure out.

Deciding it was best to just get the fight started, Midorikawa went to one of the booths while Yuki went to a different one.

"Suzume..."

"Hm? Yeah, Mei-san?"

"Do you think you could..." Mei looked from the two that just left to the girl next to her with a serious expression. "Could you make a fanfic or doujinshi with the main pairing be Yandere!YukiMidori? You could add whatever other ship you want, but it _must_ be that one."

"Ooohhh~~~~ A challenge! I like it!" Misaki gave the Operator a solute and said, "You can count on me, Mei-san! I won't let you, or the fan base down!"

'There's...a fanbase...for those two?' the three other males thought with shivers running down their spines. '...Does that mean there are fanbases for us!?'

* * *

"Remember, Shun-kun, don't go easy."

"I wasn't planning on it."

Midorikawa rushed forward with a Scorpion in each hand. He tried multiple slashes, but they were all easily dodged. He saw something from the corner of his eye and jumped back just in time to dodge some Asteroid.

He looked up and saw that Yuki was simply standing there with the smile still on his face and a small cube if Trion next to him. That when he noticed something was off.

"Yuki-senpai...You don't have Kogetsu out..."

"Hm? Oh. Yeah. I was busy using a customized Trigger and kinda forgot about Kogetsu," Yuki said with a sheepish laugh. "Don't worry though, I'll be fine with Scorpion and the like."

'Is...he underestimating me?'

Midorikawa rushed forward again, but had to dodge the other Asteroids that were heading for him. When he was close enough, he brought out some Grasshoppers and was quickly behind Yuki. He took a slash at the neck, but it was blocked by a Scorpion coming out of Yuki's neck. He used his other blade for a stab through the chest, but that was also blocked. He brought his leg up and brought out a third Scorpion.

"Too obvious. Are you sure you aren't going easy, Shun?"

Midorikawa went wide eyed and jumped away before he was pierced by multiple Scorpions that were coming out of Yuki's back.

"That was actually bad on your part, Shun. I have Toby-kun on my squad, so using something like Hedgehog isn't much of a problem for me." Yuki got a doubtful look on his face before letting out a sigh. The Trion cube next to him was gone and a single Scorpion appeared in his hand. "There we go. I'll just use Scorpion, a single Optional Trigger, nothing from my squad and my Side Effect to fight. Kay?"

Midorikawa was now really confused. He, like most people, knew that Yuki was kind and humble above all, but he seemed to have an aura of arrogance over him at the moment. The smile on his face also didn't he'll the situation.

Not thinking any more about it, Midorikawa jumped up and brought down his two Scorpions. While one was met with another Scorpion, the second one didn't hit it's mark since Yuki had grabbed his wrist.

Midorikawa brought his leg up again with another blade coming out, but Yuki let go and moved back a little bit before rushing forward with his own blade at the ready.

He was quick enough to land a cut on Midorikawa and sever his arm. He went for another attack, but was suddenly launched into the air. He looked down to see that he had stepped on a Grasshopper and that Midorikawa was coming towards him.

He caught himself and started to fall down to meet the attack head on.

When the two landed, they each had a new wound with Midorikawa's being on his cheek and Yuki's being on his side.

Yuki turned around and saw that Midorikawa had used another Grasshopper as a springboard and was speeding towards him. He brought up his blade and the two clashed. He had to step back before being cut by yet another leg Scorpion.

Midorikawa didn't relent and went for multiple different strikes using his remaining arm and two legs. He was determined to make sure that Yuki didn't have time to land a counter attack and made sure to leave no open spots for a surprise Scorpion.

It worked well for a while, but... **it didn't last long.**

Midorikawa clicked his tongue as he noticed that Yuki had started using his Side Effect. Now instead of pushing the older one back with multiple strikes, the two were stationary and every attack Midorikawa made was mirrored back in the same fashion by Yuki. The only difference was that **Yuki still had a remaining arm**.

With two Scorpions in his hand, Yuki continued copy Midorikawa's every move as well as making more cuts appear on the younger boy's body. Seeing that Midorikawa would run out of Trion soon, Yuki jumped back, making the other lose balance for a moment. But instead of using that to his advantage, Yuki simply stood still as his opponent got his balance.

"We're about done here."

"I'm still here...Even if I'm gonna have to Bail Out soon, I still have some time," Midorikawa said as he readied his blade.

Yuki let out a sigh and shook his head before pointing at Midorikawa's arm and saying, "Look at your arm. You haven't even noticed that I've already used the Optional Trigger on you."

Doing as he was told, Midorikawa looked at his arm and went wide eyed when he saw the Tsukiko Squad emblem on his wrist. The same wrist that Yuki had grabbed to atop his attack. He hadn't seen a Trigger like this, so he was confused as to what it could do, but had no time to think about it.

Yuki had suddenly appeared in front of him slashed at him so fast he didn't have time to react. He was quickly split in half.

 **Midorikawa, Bail Out.**

* * *

QOTC: What do you think of the ocs? (Told ya it would show up again.)

QOTC2: What is your favorite Optional Trigger? (Or which one do you like more?)

* * *

LOLQOTC: Who wants to ready Suzume's fanfic?

* * *

 **And there was Number 10! I hope you all enjoyed it! If you didn't then that just means I didn't do a good enough job.**

 **Okay, so let's start with the Takeshi vs Yoneya fight. It was too short for my liking, but I didn't really feel like writing it too long and didn't really plan on having the two actually fight much in _this_ chapter. If you want a longer fight between the two the I'll probably put one in Takeshi's back story fic.**

 **Next will be updates. So I will be slowing down a little on updating this fic. I am planning on putting up a Yu-Gi-Oh Arc V fic. When that one gets to 9 chapters then I should be having a regular update schedule...I hope. That's not to say that I won't update this one or my Index one before that though. Another reason for the updates slowing down a little is because I thought it would take it a little easy when I noticed we're already at the invasion.**

 **That is all. I hope you enjoyed and continue reading this fic along with my other ones. Until next time, remember to spread the World Trigger word and have a nice day/evening/night!**


	11. Invasion

**And here is number 11 for you all! I hope you all enjoy and don't want to beat me over the head for no particular reason!**

 **Disclaimer: World Trigger isn't mine!**

* * *

 **Chapter 11:** Invasion (Laser and Animal)

* * *

 _"You know...I can see why so many people like you, Mikumo-kun," Yuki said as he he stood a step forward._

 _Mikumo took a step back. He continued to walk backwards while his senpai walked closer to him with an almost predatory look in his eyes. He felt his back hit something and turned his head to see that was stuck with a wall at his back and Yuki at his front._

 ** _SLAM!_**

 _Mikumo jumped a little when hands were put on the wall, completely trapping him now. He looked forward to see Yuki's face only inches away from his own. He could feel the other's hot breath on his face._

 _"No need to be scared. Just relax and leave everything to me, O-sa-mu~~~"_

 _Yuki leaned in and connected their lips. When he felt Mikumo start to relax, he brushed his tongue against the younger one's lips. When he was aloud entry into Mikumo's mouth, he wrapped his arms around the B-Rank and took his time to explode the wet cavern._

 _Mikumo felt like his legs were made of jelly and wrapped his arms around Yuki's neck so that he was being held up by both of them while his legs gave out. As he enjoyed the kiss he could feel Yuki's knee rubbing up against his-"_

"Alright, just shut the hell up."

* * *

"Look, it's not _my_ fault Suzume threatened to tell everyone we know that I still like Thomas the Tank Engine."

"That's true, but do you _have_ to read that.. _thing_ out loud?"

Both Toby and Takeshi were walking to school while the brunet had his phone in his hand with a draft of Misaka's newest fanfiction on it. From the time the two had left their apartment building, Toby had been reading it with his teammate wanting to stab his own eardrums from having to heard something erotic about his senpai/captain and someone who's fighting had interested him.

Toby didn't like it any more than his teammate, but he knew the terrors that Misaka could cause if he didn't read her fanfictions for errors. While Mei could easily beat him black and blue without a second though, Misaka would socially ruin him as easily as breathing.

He found that the two combined would possibly kill someone with anyone else noticing. They were truly terrifying girls when they wanted to be.

"Look, if I have to suffer, then so do you," Toby said with a shrug. "If it makes you feel any better, you don't have to read, and I don't torture you with her 'long, super erotic, lemony, sexy time, make any fangirls get massive nosebleeds' fanfics."

Takeshi turned his head to face Toby and gave an _actual_ look of pity. He knew he would have gouged his eyes out after reading only _one_ of those fanfictions. On the flip side, he wondered if Toby was either corrupted enough to the point where he doesn't mind reading this, or might actually _enjoy_ reading them, he was just mentally strong enough to read them, or he was mentally unstable enough to read them.

He felt like he didn't want to find out the answer to that.

"She does make up for it from time to time by making some Yuri stuff. They aren't particularly long, but still good nevertheless."

Takeshi shook his head and continued to walk while trying to forget the two had even talked the whole day.

"Ah...Maybe I should ask later..."

The two froze and turned around to see Midorikawa looking uncomfortable. They started to sweat a little while the atmosphere continued to grow extremely awkward.

Without a second though, the two older ones quickly went to their kouhai with Toby grabbing him in a headlock and Takeshi two overly sharpened pencils at his eyes.

"What did you hear, (you damn little brat)!"

"N-nothing! I didn't hear anything!"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, yes! I was on my way to school and just happened to see you two!"

Letting out a huff, Toby released Midorikawa while Takeshi put his pencils away. Both look at Midorikawa and said, "And it'll stay that way. _Got it?_ "

"Yes, Sirs!"

With that all being said and done, the three started making their way to school. While this seemed like an odd thing to see, the three could usually be seen walking together every now and then. It would almost always end up with Midorikawa having to run away before Takeshi tried to strangle him.

The two older ones were a little unnerved when they were almost at the school and Midorikawa hadn't insulted Takeshi yet. It was almost unheard of for the younger one to _not_ insult Takeshi at any chance he could.

"Shun...You okay, buddy?" Toby asked as they all walked towards the school building. Toby and Takeshi had left earlier than usual, so they had time to spare.

"I was wondering..." Midorikawa looked at the two with a confused expression they didn't expect to see. "Yesterday, when I was fighting Yuki-senpai, were you actually paying attention to the fight?"

"What a stupid question. Of course we were," Takeshi said with a small huff. He gave a glance down at the other one when he didn't get an insult. "Why? Is there something particular you wanted us to tell you?" Although Takeshi would take any chance to seem superior to the younger one, he felt that the situation was off, so he decided to be a good senpai, for the time being.

"Did something seem off with Yuki-senpai? If anyone would know, it's you guys."

The two looked at each with their own confused expression. They hadn't seen anything wrong with their leader. They did find it odd that he stopped using most of his Triggers and stuck to Scorpion and Teleport in the latter half of the fight, but chalked it up to him being nice and wanting to be on equal footing with his opponent.

Takeshi tried to think extra hard about it since he knew Yuki the longest between their squad (besides Mei) and felt he would have found if something really did seem off with their captain. Then he remembered the smile Yuki has before the fight began and how it seemed to make Midorikawa a little nervous. He hadn't seen a smile like that on Yuki's face before, so it took him by surprise, yet it felt like it belonged on his face somehow. It looked the same as his other smiles, yet had a completely different, yet subtle feeling to it.

"...Maybe..." Takeshi let out a sigh and looked back at his kouhai with his usual expression back. "You're just overthinking things. Hm. That's must be hard for a mutt like you."

Feeling that the atmosphere was lightening up a little bit, Midorikawa smirked and turned his head up while saying, "Say what you will, but remember that _I_ was the one who fought against _your captain_. Maybe he just likes me more."

"That's just because he felt sorry for you. And if I remember correctly, you got your ass handed to you." Takeshi got a smug look on his face as he saw the other's ego deflate a little. "A mutt like you shouldn't be so arrogant as to think he could stand a chance against Senpai. I mean, I could probably beat you too."

"At least I'm not crushing hard on my captain." Midorikawa smirked when he saw the other flinch. "I should just call you Yaoi-senpai. I'm sure you give Suzume-senpai enough ideas to write about with just your mumbling."

That's when the case was on.

Toby ignored the chase and headed for his class. He knew this would take a while, so he didn't bother trying to stop it. With this being a sort of norm for most, the other students didn't both with it either.

* * *

"That's all for now. If you haven't finished writing what's on the board down then you get to stay here."

Toby let out a yawn as he lifted his arms to stretch and heard the cracks that came with it. He looked over and saw that Takeshi was just silently sitting at his desk. Deciding he didn't want to be in the class for lunch, Toby stood up and headed for the door. He could hear Takeshi's chair move and just continued for the door.

"Try not to get in trouble," Akasora said, not even looking at his students.

The two just nodded their heads and walked out. Now having anything particular to talk about the two walked I'm silence with Takeshi reading the latest volume of To Aru Majutsu no Index and Toby just humming to himself.

They were greeted by a few students, but otherwise kept to themselves. It was one of those rare, yet nice moments when they weren't arguing with each other, or just talking too loudly, so no one bothered them to keep the peace.

"Kotowari-kun, Awdry-kun, are you going to the roof?"

The two turned around to see a girl looking at them. She had mid-back length hair with some of it covering her right eye. She had black eyes and a kind smile on her face.

The two recognized her as a girl from their class. They were always kind to her and vice versa. They also always found her appearance to resemble someone's, but could never think of who. She was also a member of Border, but was only a C-Rank trainee, so she would ask them for advice from time-to-time.

"Hey, Hoshi. Yeah, we were going to the roof. You wanna come with us?" Toby asked, looking at her with an oddly calm expression.

"Sure. Okay."

"Oh no..."

Takeshi face-palmed when he saw a certain someone walking towards them and not even seeming to be looking at where he was going. He had a hotdog and a cup in his hand as he enjoyed his lunch.

"That mutt again."

"You really don't get along with Midorikawa-kun, do you?" Hoshi said with a small giggle.

"It's not my fault he's a mutt," Takeshi said as he crossed his arms.

"Ah, it's you guys again. Hello, Taiyōko-senpai," Midorikawa said as he walked up to the trio.

"Hello, Midorikawa-kun. How are-"

 **Warning: A Gate is opening. Large-scale outbreak of Gates confirmed. Anyone in the vicinity of the Emergence Area, please evacuate at once.**

Everyone in the hall turned to the windows and saw multiple Gates opening up and started panicking.

The four Border agents stayed calm and quickly went into action.

* * *

 **Warning: A Gate is opening. Large-scale outbreak of Gates confirmed. Anyone in the vicinity of the Emergence Area, please evacuate at once.**

Mei let out a sigh as she stopped from her walk through the park as she saw the Gates open up and Neighbors coming through by the dozens. None of that seemed to affect her though as she simply stood there with her phone to her ear.

"Yeah, I know. It's pretty hard _not_ to hear."

 _"Well, I guess Shinoda-San was right. You're gonna have to make your way to the base."_

"I guess so...Oh well. I might as well get rid of the ones in front of me first. I'm just glad there's no one around right now."

 _"I just got the orders from HQ, so I'll be fighting for a while. Try not to cause_ too much _collateral, okay?"_

"Can't promise anything. Anyways, you better start 'remembering' or else you'll end up having to Bail Out too soon."

 _"I know. Same goes for you. Good luck."_

With that, the line went dead.

Mei let out another sigh as she put her phone away and pulled something out of her pocket. She didn't really want to fight at the moment, but knew she would have to make it past the horde of Trion Soldiers before she could make it to the Headquaters.

"Well...I might as well get start."

The soldiers started charging at her, but she didn't seem to mind and simply lifted her arm.

"Trigger on."

* * *

"Sensei, we just got orders from HQ, so we need you and the C-Ranks to held evacuate everyone else out of here. There are some headed this way, so we'll take care of them whole we go meet up with the rest of our squad," Takeshi explain as he stood in front of the school with everyone else.

"Sure thing. Just leave it to us. It's our job after all."

Takeshi nodded his head and turned around to leave, but was surprised when multiple Neighbors fell from the sky. There were multiple Marmods and Bados.

"There...there are so many of them!" Inushiba, along with most of the students, started sweating when they saw the Neighbors slowly making their way towards the ground. "There's no way you three can take on that many!"

"Just shut up and go."

No wasting any more time, the two B-Ranks and single A-Rank quickly got to work while the C-Ranks and civilians started evacuating.

Midorikawa and Toby ran forward with a Scorpion in hand. They both took on the same one and made quick work of it by slashing at it until it was down. They then split up to take on other ones.

Takeshi stood in place and put his hands in his pocket as three green orbs appeared by his head. He looked up and each orb shot out three green beams towards the flying ones. He managed to destroy some of them, but other dodged the attacks.

The ones who dodged the beams were being chased by the same beams and ended up colliding with each other, making them a big enough target for Takeshi to take down.

He took a sideways glance to see that a few Marmods were heading towards him, so he lowered the beams in the sky to one for each orb before making a new orb that shot out three beams, destroying the oncoming Neighbors.

Meanwhile, Toby stood on a fallen Marmod while he looked around to see more coming his way. He put away the Scorpion in his hand and let out a sigh. Multiple Scorpions sprang from his body and covered him. He ran forward and moved his feet so he was spinning rapidly.

The Marmods were slashed up as soon as they came in contact with him. Some tried to back away, but he quickly headed for them and took them out.

Midorikawa took out his share of Marmods using his Scorpion and Grasshopper. He ended them quickly by going for their 'eyes' and moving from one to the other in a matter of seconds.

It didn't take too long for the three to end it. They gather together as order came in.

"So there's a new model, huh? Sounds interesting," Midorikawa said as he looked around. "Looks like we need to regroup to take them all out."

"Go on ahead, Shun," Toby said with a small sigh.

"We'll go see how the evacuation is going. After that we'll regroup as told. You need to go and get together with other A-Ranks." Takeshi looked around with a careful eye, but still didn't find anything.

"Alright. You two try not to get beat by those new models."

With that, Midorikawa took his leave with a wave.

"That mutt. Who does he think we are?" Takeshi got a thoughtful expression on his face as he put a hand on his chin. "But they did manage to take out someone from the Azuma Squad and apparently capture Suwa-san...They must be dangerous then..."

"Ah, don't worry about, dude! We're different from those two squads." Toby patted Takeshi on the back, yet he also felt a little worried about what could happen. "When we regroup with Yuki and Suzume we'll help out around, so no need to worry."

"Don't forget, Yuki-senpai is an A-Rank now. He won't be helping us out as he wants."

"Oh, whatever. We can still handle-"

 **KRAKL**

The two froze for a second before slowly turning around. That's when they saw a bipedal creature with features different from anything they had seen before. Then could easily tell that it was the new model they were told about and got ready to fight.

Takeshi shot out three beams while Toby ran forward with Scorpions covering his body.

The New Model dodged the beams and rushed at Toby. It landed a punch on the brunet and didn't seem fazed by the blades. It quickly rushed at Takeshi, ready for another strike.

Takeshi took one of his hands out his pocket and out it in front of himself. Another orb appeared, but this one just stayed in one place. He jumped back just as the New Model came in contact with the orb.

The orb exploded and caught the New Model in it, yet even that didn't seem to effect it much as it continued towards Takeshi.

Seeing the attack coming, he quickly teleported behind the New Model as it passed by where he was. He let out more beams as Toby came up from the side with a single Scorpion in his hand.

The New Model blocked the attack from Toby and brought up both it's arms to block the beams. It started moving forward while blocking the beams. When it felt that the beams were starting to break it apart, it moved to the side, letting the beams hit the building.

Toby managed to teleport to its underside and land a slash on its stomach area before being slammed to the ground the one of its arms. He didn't have time to get up as it grabbed him with a tight enough grip that he couldn't focus enough to use Teleport.

The New Model's mid-section opened up and six wire-like things (?) came out and went for Toby.

"Crap! This is probably what happened to Suwa-san!"

Takeshi shot out more beams, but they were just deflected by the New Model as it continued what it was doing.

 **BANG! BANG! BANG!**

Takeshi went a little wide eyed when he saw the New Model let go of Toby and jump away so it didn't get its 'eye' destroyed by some shots. He ran over to check on Toby before looking over to see Hoshi standing there with her legs shaking and a pistol in her hand.

The New Model changed his target from the two B-Ranks to the C-Rank who seemed too scared to move at the moment. At charged at her while dodging the beams Takeshi had shot out.

"Taiyōko, move!"

"Trigger on!"

Someone came down from above and tried to land a hit on the New Model, but it blocked the attack. The person jumped back and stood in front of Hoshi.

"...Sensei..."

Akasora stood there with a Kogetsu in his hand and a cube of Trion by his head. His attire didn't seem to change expect for the fact that his blue track suit was now gray with white and black lining.

"I know I said I would help out with the evacuation, but Taiyōko here decided to come and help you two out. Not to mention you two were seeming to have a hard time." The looming in his eyes turned hard and he looked at the New Model. This seemed to have a great effect as the New Model took a step back. "It's a teacher's job to help and protect his students, so I hope you don't mind if I joined in the fight for a little bit, Masafumi."

 _"Not at all. I just hope you didn't get rusty."_

"So insulting. Oh well."

Akasora rushed forward while Asteroids were shot at the New Model.

It blocked the shots, but was unguarded when Akasora was right in front of it and slashed at its mid-section. It let out a roar and tried to land a hit.

The teacher didn't let up as he dodged the punch form the New Model, he jumped up to try and get its 'eye', but had to block another punch. He landed on the ground before letting out more shots. He ran forward again and used the chance he got from using Viper to go for another mid-section slash.

The New Model, deciding that it couldn't win, turned to the ones behind it and quickly went for them. It dodged the beams fired at it and continued on.

The New Model tried a punch, but was quickly stopped and brought down when Akasora teleported above it and stabbed it through its head.

"Don't go after my students, you damn thing."

Takeshi and Toby just looked at their teacher with wide eyes. They had never seen him do something like this and the fighting style reminded them of the times they would fight with Yuki. The only difference was that the older one's moves were more refined than their captain's.

"Man...Maybe I am getting a little rusty," Akasora said as he moved his arms.

 _"Nicely done, Chishi. You may not be in Border anymore, but I need you to-"_

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Just leave it to me." Akasora let out a sigh as he turned to his students. He saw they had awestruck expression and let out a sheepish laugh. "I said I was in Border...Never said I didn't keep a Trigger."

"That was amazing, Sensei. I figured you were strong, but this..." Takeshi wasn't too sure on what to say, so he just trailed off.

"Like I said, me and Masafumi are good friends. Not to mention that I was the one to train both your captain and Operator...Ah...Opps. Guess I wasn't suppose to tell you that...Sorry." He got a serious look on his face that made the three of them also get serious. "Taiyōko, you need to get back and help with the evacuation. Kotowari, Awdry, you two should go regroup. If you come across any more of the New Models then just run until you meet up with someone else."

"Yes, Sir!"

"Um...Sensei...What are you going to do?" Hoshi asked, looking at her teacher nervously.

"I'm gonna go help out as well. Now let's get going."

* * *

"Looks like this area is clear now..." Mei looked over the destroyed area with Neighbors here and there with. "Maybe I did go _a little_ overboard...Oh well." She stood up from the New Model she was crouching on and jumped down before walking away. "I should go find Yuki-kun before he causes even more damage than me."

* * *

QOTC: What's you're favorite Trion Solider? (Can be from canon or filler. Can give a reason, but don't have too.)

QOTC2: Got any questions for me? (I'm just curious.)

* * *

 **And there is number 11! I hope you all enjoyed! If you didn't then that just means I didn't do a good enough job.**

 **And now you know some of what Suzu puts in her own fics...She does fics on stuff like Naruto and Index too...Just to let you all know...Anyways!**

 **Just to let you all know, the back story fics should be up a little later on this week while Suzu's fanfic (not mine, Suzu's!) will be up at the same time. My Arc-V fics is taking longer than expected for those wondering, so that will come after the others.**

 **On a side note, I'm guilty for liking that #1 blue train. Got a problem with it? Then deal with it...**

 **Whelp, until next time! Bye-bye!**

* * *

 **Chishi Akasora**

All-Rounder

\- 32 Years Old

\- Born Apr. 27

\- Felis, Blood Type A

\- Height: 6'6"

\- Likes: Teaching, seeing others get what's coming to them, teasing his students, apples

 **Hoshi Taiyōko (C-Rank)**

Gunner

\- 15 Years Old

\- Born Oct. 14

\- Luna Falcata, Blood Type AB

\- Height: 5'4"

\- Likes: Friends, her siblings, making new friends, ice-cream


	12. Invasion: Part 2

**And here is number 12 for you all! It's a little all over the place with line breaks, but is till hope you all enjoy!**

 **On a side note, don't think too much about what Suzu does in this chapter.**

 **Disclaimer:** Don't own World Trigger

* * *

 **Chapter 12:** Invasion: Part 2 (Stinger)

* * *

"Whoa now... They can cope with the Rabbits already."

"Well, well, well...It appears progress in Miden has been impressive."

"Feh. These Rabbits are basic models."

"I'm not so sure. They didn't fall for our plan to divide them. They're quite formidable."

This conversation was being held in a Neighbor ship. Seven Neighbors were in the ship and all were watching the invasion occur.

"Should we go, Hairein-sama," the youngest looking one asked, looking at their leader.

"Not yet. You will go after we ascertain Miden's limits." The leader's expression never changed and kept a calm tone as he continued to watch the footage. "No need to get ahead of ourselves. We still have plenty if eggs. Miden...hasn't shown us everything they can do yet. When we sent the rads...they mobilized several hundred combatants. Considering that scale...we can surmise that many other skilled individuals...besides those in this squad exist."

"Aren't you being a little too paranoid about these Miden Monkeys? Eh, Captain?" another one said. This one had black horns on his head and one of his eyes was black as well.

"Watch your words, Enedora," the youngest one said. "You're talking to our leader."

"Huh? And who do you think _you're_ talking to?"

"Will you two shut up? I'm trying to watch these adorable animals dance around," one of the only two females said as she kept her eyes on the footage. "It really is quite cute."

"You and you're fetishes are disturbing, Pyr," Enedora said with a disgusted look.

"Says the heterochromatic freak."

"Watch your tongue, bitch! I'll get rid of you along with that small fry over there!"

"Just because you have a Black Trigger doesn't mean you'll win! I can easily destroy you! That being said, you wouldn't stand a chance against both me and Hyu!"

"This ship won't last long if you three get into a fight," the oldest one in the room said, not actually seeming to mind the three.

"This is so annoying! I'm sick if this cramped space! Come on, Captain! Let me outside! I could kill all of the Miden soldiers by myself!"

"Annihilation aside..." the last male there said, turning from his comrade to his leader, "It _would_ be nice to stretch out legs for a bit. Right, brother? No, _Captain_."

"A little more patience. Everyone's turn will come soon."

"Proceeding to the next stage."

* * *

 **BANG!**

'That's number 5...'

 **GYOOSH!**

'Where the hell are those two idiots!?'

Misaki panted lightly as she tried to keep the attacking Trion Soldiers away from the area she had sent the civilians to.

The civilians had been shocked when multiple Gates opened up, but Misaki and other agents quickly calmed them down as they brought out their Triggers.

When they had gotten the orders from Headquarters, Misaki had said she would stay and help out the civilians while she waited for her squad to make it to her. The other agents weren't sure if that was the best idea, but didn't have much time to think it over and left it to her.

 _"Suzu, you there?"_

Misaki jumped a little when she heard Yuki.

"A-ah! Yeah! I'm here, Captain!"

 _"I just spoke with Mei and we both give you permission to use your_ that."

"But Captain, I don't think I need _that_ to deal with these ones. I've already taken out quite a bit of them. When I regroup with Ta-"

 _"Look at the HQ building."_

Doing as she was told, she looked over and went wide eyed when she saw giant Neighbors flying in the air and looking ready to slam into the Border Headquarters.

Now she understood why she was given permission.

She had been told by Kitora about these giant, flying Neighbors and how they worked. They were moving bombs with hard outsider armor.

This didn't bother her much though since she was use to dealing with heavy defenses.

"Honestly! Why the hell do they have to go there!" As she yelled this out, she traded in her Lightning or her Ibis. "Upside is that they're big targets. Down side is that I really _will_ have to wait to regroup with those two."

She put the large rifle down and got ready to fire. She smirked when she saw one of them get sliced to pieces by Tachikawa. She found that they really were too big and let out a small sigh.

"Misaki to Headquarters. I'm ready to shoot, but I think I can only take one if them out."

 _"That's fine. We were prepared for the extra ones. Take one out will help us out."_

Misaki didn't answer and pinpointed her target. She made sure she would make a shot and fired.

The shot was a little smaller than what Chika could fire, but was still large when fired. As the shot got closer to its target, it quickly split up into multiple shots and continued to make its way to the giant target.

The Ilgar didn't stand a chance and was quickly filled with holes and started to fall to the ground.

The last one hit the base and exploded, causing a shockwave and sending some debris at Misaki.

'Looks like it worked out.' She stood up, switched her weapon choice and let out a huff while she flipped her hair. "Honestly. I need to watch how much Trion I use. I can't be in one fight after another using both Stingers now. I guess it's fine though."

 _"Nice job, Suzume!"_

 _"Yeah. We saw the shot from here. Don't worry, we're on our way there."_

"Yeah, yeah, yeah! Just hurry up! Switching back to a Lightning means I need your asses over here pronto!"

 _"Calm down, Suzume-senpai."_

Misaki let out a small sigh as she started walking away. She decided it would be better if she met up with her teammates halfway.

 **KRACKL**

She turned to the Trion Soldiers she had just defeated and saw something coming out of one of them.

She squinted her eyes to get a better look and went wide eyed when she saw a New Model standing before her.

Not wasting any time, she started to run away. She could hear the New Model start chasing after her. She looked forward and teleported just in time to dodge a punch.

"Hey, hurry up and meet up with me! I'm headed your way and I've got a New Model right behind me!"

 _"What!?"_

 _"Alright. If you can, try and slow it down with obstacles. Don't use any more Trion unless it's for Teleport or Grasshopper. We'll speed up it get to you. Just hold on."_

'Easy for you to say!'

She turned around while still running away and fired a shot. The shot was blocked, but still made a small crack on the Rabbit's arm. Seeing that it was slowed down a little, she used Teleport to make more distance between the two.

'Honestly! Why me!?'

* * *

 _"So when are you planning on being our Operator exactly? I'm pretty sure the other three need you in your seat."_

"You wanna get your ass kick, don't you?"

 _"Not really. No. I'm just wondering."_

"Well that won't be for a while. I'm having quite a bit of fun out here."

 _"Really? You sound bored."_

"It beats me beating the crap out of you."

 _"I've gotten better."_

Mei let out a sigh as she continued the small conversation with Yuki while she took out more Trion Soldiers.

She saw more rushing at her, but she just used Teleport to appear above them all.

She let out a rain of Meteora, causing some to blow up and smoke to fly in the air. She brought her Kogetsu up and fell into the smoke. She used the chance to quickly slash at each 'eye' she saw and the them all out.

One came up behind her and let outa roar, but was quickly skewer by the Scorpions coming out of her back.

 _"Well, it at least_ sounds _like you're having fun."_

"I would like more of a challenge, but I guess beggars can't be choosers."

 _"You_ could _go find Suzu. Looks like she's being chased by a New Model. Maybe you could have some fun there."_

"And if she gets caught in the crossfire?"

 _"Then that's her fault. You already know that~~"_

'Looks like he's back to normal.' She let out another sigh as she lifted her arm and easily stabbed a still moving soldier in the 'eye'. "By the way, how are things on your end? I haven't received the order to stop you from Director Shinoda yet."

 _"I'm doing fine. None if them are worth my memory yet and I've only had to deal with one New Model so far. Really, if I wasn't told to keep the collateral to a minimum, there would be less new models."_

"Now you're just being overly arrogant. Don't forget to watch how much Trion you use. I'm sure you at least have _some_ damage from fighting the new model."

 _"Not much. If anything, I'm more worried about whether or not the destroyed buildings will come out of my pay."_

"Speaking of which, I just saw a building fall."

 _"That was probably me."_

"..."

 _"Hey, I just thought of something. Ya wanna have a contest?"_

"Let me guess...Whoever takes out the most wins and the loser has to buy the winner lunch?"

 _"I was thinking that the losers pays for everything the winners wants to a day."_

"Alright. Sounds fair to me." While she was talking, Mei had two cubes of Trion that were merging together in front of her. She also had her Radar in front of her.

 _"So let's-...Hey! That wasn't fair!"_

"Tomahawks are fair game. That's five for me." She noticed something from the corner of her eye and looked to see that it was a shot from an Ibis. 'What was that?'

* * *

"Target confirmed. A flock of baby birds. They're evacuating the citizens," the second Neighbor girl said as she looked at her screen.

"Of course. No wonder nobody came out when we disturbed their nest."

"Now then. Let's capture those baby birds," Hairein said with a smirk. "Miden's manpower is favorably dispersed. Everything is ready for the Rabbits to carry out their mission. The investigation by out Rads revealed that...the baby birds' Triggers don't have an escape function. All of you...go play with the Miden soldiers...so the a Rabbits can do their jobs."

"Hm. Looks like even a small animal can have a nasty poison in them," Pyr said as she looked at the screen.

They all look at the screens to see a large shot fired, destroying one of the Rabbits.

"That Trion reading sure is amazing. I would love to make that creature my personal pet."

"Was that a Black Trigger?" Hairein asked, looking back at the footage.

"No, not a Black Trigger," the second girls said. "The reading was of a normal Trigger...Or _should_ be."

"A new enemy!? They've destroyed two modded Rabbits already!"

"It's not a combatant, byt one of the baby birds. But these numbers..."

" **A golden goose.** How unexpected..." Hairein looked up and started looking from one of them to another while saying, "Ranbanein. Enedora. Pyr. We'll send you through a Gate as planned. Scatter the Miden soldiers and support the Rabbits. But don't go all out. We're only looking to scatter them. Mira's Trigger will retrieve you if you get in danger."

"'Danger'? As if Miden's small fry could hurt me!" Enedora said, getting an agreement from Pyr.

"Visa. House. Go after the golden goose, we might be lucky enough...to acquire a **new god.** "

* * *

"Another one down. If I ever meet one of these invading Neighbors, I'm gonna have to thank them for this invasion." Yuki stretched out and did a few jumps. He looked around and let out a sigh. "Granted, I would still take 'em out."

He was surrounded by destroyed buildings and Trion Soldiers. Instead of a regular Kogetsu in his hand, there was just a pole about the length of his arm with the tip of one end having a point and the other being blunt.

"Wonder how the others are doing...Well either way, I have to win. Don't want Mei treating me like a slave."

He heard a crackling sound and turned around to see a Gate opening. Instead of Trion Soldier coming out, a person came out. She had orange hair that was uneven all around and a black cloak covering her whole body. The thing that stuck out to him the most were the two horns on her head.

"Only one person? I'm gonna have to complain to Mira after this." She turned to Yuki and let out a sigh. "At least it's a cutie. Hey, how would you like to come home with me and be my personal pet? I'll treat you kindly~~"

"Nope. I already have a pseudo-suicidal Operator to take care of, so I don't need you." Yuki lifted the pole up and started spinning it. "Thanks for the offer and the opportunity to come and fight, but..." He stopped turning the pole and the pointed tip was now covered and looked like a scythe. "I'm going to take you down now."

"Fine. I guess I'll just blow off your legs so you can run. By the way, what is the name if my new pet?"

"I don't know. But my name is Tsukiko Yuki."

"Well mine is Pyr."

* * *

"Where the hell are they!? Honestly! How long do they think I can run?" Misaki yelled as she dodged another hit.

"Stop complaining!"

She jumped away as a green beam shot at the new model. She saw that it didn't have much of an effect, but two more hit it, making it jump back.

"It's about time."

Both Takeshi and Toby landed in front of her with a Scorpion in one's hand and Trion orb by the other's head.

"These things are irritating. We couldn't handle one before, but since you're here, I'm sure we can win," Takeshi said as he took one hand out of his pocket. "Let's get started, you two."

"Right!"

* * *

QOTC: Favorite Neighbor?

* * *

 **And there you all go! I hope you enjoyed! If you didn't then that just means I didn't do a good enough job.**

 **Before I get to anything else, I would like to tell you all that I have a ToD/Q &A fics for World Trigger up.**

 **Sorry about this one being kinda short, but I didn't really want to get into the big fights until next chapter, so please be patient with that.**

 **Now on to something else. A little trivia for you all about recent events. So I wasn't planning on watching the WT filler, but thanks to a certain review I started watching it. I can say I went in being bias, but am loving it now. I just got done with ep 52 and must say that Kitora really looks like she should be working at a fast food place and Midorikawa looks like an adorable little turd.**

 **That's all. Until next time, see ya!**

 **Extra**

 **Q:** Who is your favorite character overall?

 **A:** I'm not too sure...If I _had_ to pick one I'd say...Shinoda. For now at least.

 **Q:** What do you plan to do when you caught up with the manga?

 **A:** Run, scream and hide under my covers...Nah. It won't happen for a while, but I'm probably just going to keep going as they update.

 **Q:** Was that a dream? (Referring to the...Yuki and Osamu thing last chapter.) (And yes, I'm counting this one)

 **A** : No. It was Toby reading one of Suzu's fanfic with the main pairing being her captain and Osamu. Although...The fic could possibly have came from one of her dreams...On a side note, that fic's side pairing is AllOsa


	13. Tsukiko Squad: Part 4

**Welcome back everyone! I hope you all enjoy this chapter as well! Let's get started, shall we!?**

 **Disclaimer:** Don't own World Trigger

* * *

 **Chapter 13:** Tsukiko Squad: Part 4

* * *

 _"The three of you working together can easily take me on."_

 _"Huh? Where did that come from, Senpai?"_

 _The Tsukiko Squad was currently in their operating room with their leader eating ice-cream and the other three just hanging around. They had duty later on, but just figured they would use their free time to idle about._

 _"I'm just saying. You three are definetly strong in your own right, but can't do much against someone like me or stronger. You can get a few hits in here and there, but there are people who can easily out class me even when using my Side Effect."_

 _"What are you getting at, Captain?" Misaki asked, taking her earbuds out._

 _"I'm saying that it's always better to fight together for you three. You're strong alone, you're stronger when you have teammates, but you're strongest when fighting together."_

 _"That's obvious. Everyone is at their best with their own squads, so of course that would go for us too," Toby said as he finished his chocolate bar._

 _"That's true, but...You three are different from everyone else. I don't know if you knew this but I'm sure Mei-chan has. You three each have something mentally in common."_

 _"What is that?"_

 _"You change your thoughts to work with your teammates. And when you three fight together it's like a single, strong person is fighting."_

"Porcupine!"

"Asteroid."

Takeshi and Toby jumped back from the hit that the Rabbit tried to land. While the blades all around Toby retracted, the orbs around Takeshi were gone.

"Suzume-senpai."

 _"Right!"_

The two jumped to the side just as a shot past them and hit the Rabbit. It didn't cause too much damage, but there was now a fifth bullet sized hole in its arm.

"You two, I'm gonna use _that_ , so get ready to land the finishing blow," Takeshi said as the three orbs floated around his head again.

 _"Sure thing!"_

"Gotcha!"

The three orbs flew towards the Rabbit, but split up and made a triangle around it. Multiple small beams shot from each one and headed for the Trion Soldier. The followed after it when it jumped up and even when it moved to the side.

"Just get hit by my Laser Circus."

 _"Honestly, you read too much manga."_

Toby ignored his two teammates and got into position. He was right in front of the Rabbit with blades coming out of his body. He rushed forward and met the Trion Solider head on.

The Rabbit tried to land a punch, but was hit by the beams following it.

Toby easily dodged the punch and beams before using Teleport to appear above the Trion Solider and slashed at its 'eye'.

The Rabbit fell to the ground with a thud while Toby let out a sigh and fixed his hat. He could hear the other two going at it and let out a small sigh. He looked around and saw that they were able to keep the damage to a minimum, but some houses were destroyed.

'Nothing we can do about it now.'

 **CRASH!**

Toby felt something stab into his back.

He felt like something was pulling him backwards and saw three beams headed for him. He got ready for another fight as the beams went around him and towards whatever was behind him. He felt the pull stop and he quickly turned around.

He went wide eyed at what he saw.

Standing before both he and Takeshi were two new Rabbits with different designs.

"Toby, your back!"

Before he could think about what was being said, he felt the same pull from before and was quickly brought to the ground. He tried to get up, but the pull was too strong.

He heard a loud noise and looked up to see one of the new designed Rabbits flying in the air. He saw two beams pass above him and quickly used Scorpion to dislodge the two things from his back. He rolled to the side as the flying one smashed into the ground.

A shot was fired and hit the new designed Trion Soldier, but left only a small hole.

Toby jumped up and used Teleport to get closer, but the new designed Rabbit flew into the air again. He used Grasshopper to followed it, but missed his target and got hit by a powerful punch that sent him crashing to the ground.

Meanwhile, Takeshi had been trying to land a hit on the other new designed Rabbit, but was only using his Asteroid beams. He tried to get more power instead of using Hound or Viper's trajectory changing abilities since they would still somehow escape.

He had both his hands out as he fired from the (now five) orbs around his head. Each shot out three beams with only a one-third of them actually hitting.

'Damn it...Our opponents are our opposites...We're too far to actually switch as well...' Takeshi continue to fire, but kept an eye for where everything was. "Senpai, see if you can help Toby and push them closer to where I am. Toby, when we're close enough, we're gonna switch opponents."

" _Roger!"_

Jumping back a little, Takeshi let loose his beams again. He could hear the sounds of Misaki's shots and kept an eye around him to make sure he would be close enough.

On the other side of things, Toby dodged a hit from the speeding Rabbit. He tried to get a few good hits in, but ever time he got close, it flew back up.

He tried using Grasshopper in collaboration with Misaki's shots, but the Trion Solider seemed to only mind the shots.

While in the air, he set up multiple Grasshoppers and started moving from one to another while slashing along with the shots. This seemed to have a good effect as the Rabbit couldn't block all of the hits and tried to move away.

"Take, we're good!"

"Right."

Toby started to fall. As he did so, he turned his body so that he was facing Takeshi and the other new designed Rabbit.

Takeshi followed his teammates example and turned around as well while his opponent was distracted.

The two Rabbits went for another attack.

"Teleport!"

Takeshi was now in the air.

Toby was now on the ground.

"Hedgehog!"

"Laser Circus."

Multiple Scorpions sprung from Toby's back and stopped the Rabbit in its tracks. Seeing this, Toby formed two more Scorpions and put out multiple Grasshoppers. He quickly moved around and continued to slash at it before quickly slashing at its eye.

While in the air, the flying Rabbit tried to dodge the attacks by flying, but the beams let out by Takeshi easily followed their target and caged it in before pelting it non-stop from all directions.

The beams blew holes through the Rabbit and didn't stop until they completly destroyed it.

Takeshi smirked at his work as he fell to the ground. He put his hand on his ear and said, "Next is helping out Yuki-senpai."

 _"You're damn right!"_

* * *

In a different battle field, Mei shot a basic model Rabbit with Lead Bullets as she blocked a hit from a regular Marmod with her Kogetsu.

"Asteroid."

A cube of Trion appeared at her side before splitting up and destroying the Marmods that had surrounded her.

She pushed the one in front of her back and quickly went in to stab it in its 'eye'. She walked up to the downed Rabbit and stabbed its 'eye' as well. She used Kogetsu to split it open and take the cubes that were in it.

"Takaoto to HQ. I've gotten some more agents."

 _"Good job, Mei. We need you to go over and help Yuki out. He's facing a humanoid Neighbor. They have a regular Trigger, but we don't know what they are capable of. We are having other agents deal with more humanoid Neighbors, and your the closest to him."_

"Right. I'll go over right now."

Using her Radar, Mei found the general location of the two and started making her way over there.

'I just hope he doesn't go wild...'

 _"Mei-san?"_

"Hm? Oh. Suzume. Sorry I haven't been helping you guys out. I was busy getting rid of some soldiers."

 _"Wait, since when did you fight!?"_

 _"Now isn't the time for that. Mei-senpai, do you know where Yuki-senpai is? We are going to go help him out."_

"I'm headed over there right now. I've been told he, along with others in different areas, are fighting humanoid Neighbors, so your helps will be useful. I'll send you all the coordinates."

 _"Alright. Thank you."_

"Right. Hurry up, and don't be late." Mei let out a sigh as he sped through the battlefield. Her mind went back to a conversation she and Yuki had.

 _"Why did you tell them that? You already know that their mindsets are set to your thought process. They can't think as a single person if it's just them," Mei said as she typed away on her computer._

 _"That's true, but the parts that are attached to me are the parts I need them to get rid of," Yuki answered with a tub of ice-cream in front of him. "They are each their own person and I need them to realize that."_

 _"You make it sound like they are just AI who learn for others."_

 _"In a sense...they are like that."_

 _Mei turned from her computer and gave a questioning look to her friend._

 _"Care to explain?"_

 _"Think about Take-kun's personality and Toby-kun and Suzu-chan's Side Effects." He took another spoonful of ice-cream into his mouth. "Take-kun sees almost everything as a blank canvas, so it's easy for someone like me, who can interest him, to paint something on it. Suzu-chan's Side Effect find a persons Rythem and she accommodates to it. She's like an instrument a person can play. Toby-kun's Side Effect is, in a sense, the same as Suzu-chan's so the same could mostly be said about him. The three of them need others to survive."_

 _"Hm. This coming for you and your Side Effect...It sounds like a bad joke."_

 _"That may be, but it's true. They can't change their Side Effect, and I don't want them to change their personalities, but I_ do _want them to know that they should work at their own pace and not try to match someone else's."_

 _"..."_

 _Mei didn't answer and simply turned back to her computer. She typed furiously as her friend continued to talk._

 _"Huh? Why are you mad?"_

 _"..."_

 _"Okay, okay. I'm sorry for sounding like a hypocrite, but..."_

 _"No...Recently, I haven't been able to say you're being a hypocrite."_

 _"What do you mean?"_

 _"..."_

 _"Mei-chan, don't ignore me~~~"_

'That idiot. He hasn't even noticed that he's changed...'

* * *

"Meteora!"

Yuki watched as he attack was easily fended off by his opponent. The pole in his hand had a ball attached to the blunt end of it.

The area all around them had turned from an urban area to flat land with some debris here and there.

"Well, that was one way to start this off. But really, is that the best you've got?" Pyr said as she started walking forward. "I want my let to be strong, so you better go all out against me."

Letting out a small sigh, Yuki ran forward with his weapon at the ready. He spun the pole on his hand and the ball at the end of the blunt side was gone. A crescent blade appeared on the pointed end of the pole. Yuki made a slash with the new blade, but missed when his opponent jumped in the air.

He jumped into the air and spun the pole again. This time, the blunt end had the ball back on. Yuki brought it down with enough power to send Pyr smashing to the ground. He didn't relent as he used the fall to tried and land another powerful hit. The hit caused debris to fly into the air and obscure his vision.

"Nice try, but not good enough."

Yuki saw a hand going for his head and ducked under it. He reacted quickly and used his own hand to swat the arm away and went for another hit. He felt the impact and saw Pyr go flying across the area.

He spun the pole again and it reverted to its base form. He put it in the holder at the back of his waist and rushed again with two Scorpions in hand and a Trion cube next to him.

"Viper."

Pyr saw the head on attack and brought her arm up to block, but was surprised when she saw Yuki right in front of her and one if his Scorpions raised above head.

She quickly kicked him before she could be cut, but didn't notice the Vipers until they hit her back. She clicked her tongue and looked over to see Yuki standing back up.

"Hey, hey, hey. How'd you get in front of me so quickly?" Pyr asked with a slightly irritated expression.

"Hehehe! That's my secret. Sorry~~" Yuki smirked as he got rid of one Scorpion. "Maybe if you pay more attention, you will figure out the answer."

"Hm. Nice to know that my future pet has spunk." She picked up a rock and examined it for a few seconds before tossing it at Yuki. "A little present from me."

Yuki raised an eyebrow, but still got ready to defend. He went wide eyed when he saw the rock start to glow and quickly jumped back just as an explosion went off.

"Well that certainly was-"

When he looked back up he saw multiple rocks being thrown at him. He brought up his Shield and continued to jump back to get out of range from the main blasts. He wasn't paying attention to the woman now and focused on the rocks.

This allowed Pyr to make here way behind him and land a kick on him.

He was sent sailing through the air and came to a stop when he regained his balance and caught himself.

He saw a small glow next to him and saw '15' on his uniform. He used Scorpion to cut that part off and tried to get away. He noticed that this explosion had a delay from the glow and was able to put up a Shield to miss a fatal blow.

'Fifteen huh?...'

Nodding to himself, Yuki pulled out the pole again and spun it. The crescent appeared again.

Yuki ran forward and tried multiple slashes, but Pyr easily moved around them.

She saw a small opening in the attacks and took the chance. She tried to land a punch, but was only able to touch the tip of his uniform. This didn't seem to bother her as she smirked while Yuki cut the piece of clothing off and jumped back.

The explosion wasn't as big as the other ones, but it was still big enough to cause dust to fly into the air.

She got ready for another attack and saw something headed for her. She brought her arm up and grabbed what it was. She was shocked when she saw it was just the jacket from Yuki's uniform.

"Got you."

Yuki appeared in front of her and managed to get a good slash at her, making her jump back to avoid another hit.

He straightened up and smirked. He saw that he had cut through her cloak and the skin-tight outfit under it, but both seemed to quickly be fixed. He didn't mind too much since he saw that she still suffered from the actual cut he made.

"Again...How did you just appear in front of me!?"

"I figured it out already."

"Hm? Figured what out?"

"You're a terrible liar." Yuki continued to smirk as he out the pole away. "Whenever your hand, or arm touches something, a number appears. Depending in the number, an explosion occurs at a certain time. The flash the numbers make is just for show. You use it to throw your opponent off and make them think the explosion is going to go off right away."

"Heh..."

"Hm? Did I get it wrong?"

"No, no, no. You are completly right." She looked up with a psychotic look in her eyes. "But I can mark something from anything! Not just my arms and hands!"

Yuki went wide eyed when he saw a glow coming from his feet. He jumped up and saw a '2' on the ground.

"Damn it!"

 **BOOM!**

"Hehehe. Guess he should have been more-"

"Observant...Right?"

Pyr was shocked and ducked just in time to dodge a slash at the neck, but still got kicked and sent flying.

"I'll be taking this part of my uniform back now," Yuki said as he picked up his jacket. He looked it over and didn't find a number on it. "Good. I was hoping to keep it around to use that trick again."

"How the hell did you dodge that?" Pyr looked up and saw a snowflake on the jacket start to fade away. "Looks like your trick is like mine. We both use marks to fool our opponents." She stood back up it's her psychotic look reaching a new level. "You really will make a great pet!"

"Sorry, but he's already _my_ pet."

Pyr went wide eyed when she felt a massive amount if weight on her right side and fell to the ground.

"Who the hell did that?"

"It's about time."

Mei landed next to Yuki with a on indifferent expression on her face. She let out a sigh and shook her head.

"I guess we should just hurry this up. You two already destroyed more than enough and I don't want Director Netsuki yelling in our ears more than he usually does." She clicked her tongue and looked away. "Amo has it lucky. He's an S-Rank, so he doesn't get yelled at for making a new parking lot."

"Ah~~ I guess you're right. I've already figured her Trigger's ability out, so it should be easier for us." Yuki grinned as he got the pole back out. "Right! Let's finish her up before the other three get here!"

* * *

"Are you sure it's a good thing to only send those two to fight one of the humanoid Neighbors!?" Netsuki asked from the Border Headquarters. "They cause more than enough damage in their own, and I doubt their opponent will care about the area!"

"Yes. The other squads are busy and those two are strong enough to get the job done," Shinoda answered while looking at the big screen in front of them all. "You are right about the area they're in, but that area has been cleared out for a while. I doubt most people would care for it."

"Those two are animals when they fight opponents like these. It's a good thing they are in that area," Kinuta said. "Not only that, but that boy's Trigger doesn't wouldn't help any situation with multiple people around. It was a hassle to make it along with that special Teleport for him. You were just showing favoritism, Director Shinoda."

"Say what you will, but both of those Triggers help bring out something that he can only bring out with Takaoto."

"And what would that be?"

"Their wild sides."

* * *

QOTC: How do you like Suzume, Toby and Takeshi's looks?

QOTC 2: Favorite Aftokrator Trigger? (Regular or Black)

* * *

 **And there you all go! I hope you enjoyed! If you didn't...Well, you know the rest.**

 **So about the first QOTC...Just look at the cover image for my fics Stinger, Laser and Animal.**

 **The only other thing I have to say it...Fight scenes...What are ya gonna do about 'em? Anyways!**

 **Until next time. Bye!**


	14. Invasion: Part 3

**Welcome back to chapter 14! I hope you all enjoy!**

 **Warning:** foul language is used

 **Disclaimer:** You already know

* * *

 **Chapter 14:** Invasion: Part 3 (Two Wilds)

* * *

"You know, if you used your Side Effect, this might be easier for us."

"You know, it would be pointless to do that with an opponent like this."

Mei let out a sigh as she scratched her head. On one side was her and Yuki, ready for battle and right in front of their opponent. On the other side was their opponent sporting multiple weights on her side, courtesy of Mei herself.

She had received the information about their opponent's Trigger and was already coming up with hundreds of strategies already. That didn't help that she still needed to keep an eye on Yuki though.

She knew they had to get the fight over with quickly for multiple reason. The main two were that they needed to go help other places and that neither wanted the rest of their team seeing their fight.

"By the way, that Trigger of yours is very...stylish."

"Now, now. No need to be jealous. Yours is just too destructive. You know full well that's why Shinoda-san and Akasora-san forbid you from using it."

"Tsk. You're getting me a little mad now." She got in a fighting stance. "Let's just end this quickly."

"Hm? You two dating, or something?"

The two Border agents turned to their opponent to see small explosions go off and the weights destroyed.

"If so, then that give me more of a reason to beat you down, little bitch. First you say that cutie here is _your_ pet, then you put those weights on me, and you finish it off by flirting right in front of me." The crazed look came back to Pyr's face, but with a scowl instead of a grin. "I'll make you escape, then hunt you down to kill you personally, you little bitch."

"Hm. I don't want to hear that coming from a tramp like you."

Yuki couldn't help but wonder where all of this was actually going. He could basically _see_ the sparks clashing between the two females. He let out a sigh and spun the pole in his hand.

The pointed end had a single blade coming out of the side to make a scythe.

'Might as well...'

He rushed at Pyr with his weapon at the ready. When he got close enough, he made a quick jump to the side as Asteroids went passed him and hit Pyr dead on.

Knowing that the attack didn't do much to her, he used some rubble as a platform to jump off into the air and bring down the scythe.

Pyr brought her hands up and grabbed the blade before tossing both it and its owner to the side. Before she could think of another attack, she noticed Mei had come up to her side with a Kogetsu going for a slash and a gun pointed at her head.

Yuki easily landed and looked at the blade to see a '1' on one side and a '2' on the other side. He quickly spun the pole and the blunt end now how the ball back on it and the numbers were nowhere to be seen.

'So it looks like there's a weakness to this.'

He heard an explosion and turned to see Mei landing not too far from Pyr.

He pulled off his jacket and tied it around his waist.

He saw that Mei was going for another attack with her Kogetsu and took in her stance and way of running. Without much thought, he mimicked her attack and went for Pyr's back with his own weapon.

Pyr had already noticed both attacks coming and kicked up a rock towards Mei while she turned around with her arm outstretched.

Not being able to react in time, both agents tried to get out of any fatal attacks.

Mei brought up a Shield while she jumped up.

Yuki on the other hand got his jacket from his waist and threw it in front of him. It had covered Pyr's hand and gave Yuki the chance to swat the hand away and land a hit with the weapon that had a large amount of power to it.

No waisting time, he used his special Teleport to appear above her with the scythe back. He slashed at her and felt the connection, but quickly jumped away when he saw a '3' on his jacket.

"You are really pushing me off now." She stood up to show her cloak and skin tight outfit recovering. "For every hit you land, my soon-to-be pet, an hour of torture will be added.

Not bothering to listen, the two hid behind some rubble, but quickly moved so as not to be caught.

"That cloak by itself seems sturdy. Plus it can regenerate. Not sure if my Kogetsu can cut through it," Mei said as she took a peak to see Pyr facing the opposite direction. "If I use the Lead Bullets, she'll have to blow them up again, leaving spots to attack."

"My Idōgetsu can cut through to her body, but only to make shallow cuts. Jikantsuki and Gengetsu are pretty strong, so that just goes to show how strong that cloak is."

"Yuki-kun... What the name of that heavy hitter form you use?"

"...Mangetsu..."

"..."

"Don't give me that silence! You know it fits!"

"..."

"Mei-chan~~~"

"What can your last attack do?"

"What do you mean?"

"Stop being stupid. We both know there is a last form to your Idōgetsu. What. Can. It. Do?"

"Not gonna use it unless necessary. Besides, I would probably have to Bail Out after using it _and_ it might not even take her out."

"...Fine. I'll try and get as many Lead Bullets as I can, so you need to focus on getting those openings."

"Sure thing."

 **BAM!**

The two went wide eyed when they saw two Rabbits crash land in front if them.

Quickly thinking, the two moved out if the way to dodge a punch and used their weapons to try and cut the Trion soldiers, but weren't able to get passed the hardened armor.

"Found you~~"

 **BOOM!**

Mei reacted quickly enough to put up a Shield, but not quick enough to dodge all the damage. Part of her side was blown up and she say that the explosion was big enough to take one of Yuki's arms.

She jumped away and got a clear view of the whole scene. She could see where Pyr currently was, along with Yuki and the Rabbits. She also saw that the explosion had created large portions of the ground to be scattered around.

'I'll do that then...' She landed on the ground with a thud and took out one of her guns. "Hey, Kiyoshi, get that hair out of your eyes!"

From his side of the area, Yuki went a little wide eyed before smirking. He did as he was told and put the hair covering his eyes behind his ear. Along with that, he put the pole away and brought out a Scorpion.

He ran at the Rabbits and easily dodged the punches meant to hit him. He tried to cut them, but the armor was too much and didn't break.

"Oh? Does his eye have some strange power?" Pyr grinned in anticipation. "My pet sure is something~~ Hey, bitch! Why don't you leave the fighting to the real fighters?"

Pyr turned around just in time to see the tip of Kogetsu in front of her and a gun pointed at her mid-section. She barely dodged the blade, but still got a cut on her face and more weights added.

She let out a yell as she tried to kick Mei, but the hit was dodged.

"Viper."

As she flew in the air from her jump, a five of Trion appeared by Mei before splitting up and shooting at the spots where the weights were.

Just before the Viper got to Pyr, she had used her Trigger to get rid of the weights, leaving a spot for the attack to hit. She was shocked by the attack hitting her, but she quickly recovered and threw multiple rocks at Mei.

"Asteroid!"

The rocks were quickly shot down with the explosions causing dust to rise again.

Mei used the cover to get closer again. She slashed at Pyr and managed to get a shallow cut in and land a few Viper hits from behind before launching Pyr into the air using Grasshopper.

Pyr flew into the air and saw some more Viper attacks coming from the side. She used some rocks she picked up to stop them, but didn't see someone above her.

Yuki had gotten above her and had the ball at the end of his weapon. He used the force of the fall to smash Pyr back towards the ground.

Instead if hitting the ground, Pyr found that she was stopped by wires that had cut through her cloak. She saw Mei shoot out more Lead Bullets and could tell the wires were now cutting through her skin-tight outfit. To finish it off, she saw Yuki starting to fall above her.

"Looks like we win."

"Don't you..." A giant '10' appeared on the ground. "Don't you underestimate me, fucking bitch!"

 **BOOOOOOOOOOM!**

The three, along with everything else, were blown away by the massive explosion.

Pyr stood without her cloak.

Yuki staggered as he put away his weapon to bring out a new one.

Mei stood there with calculating eyes.

'What happened to those damn Rabbits?'

"If you're wondering about those new model, take a look yourself."

"Hm. So that eyes does have some weird power then," Pyr said as she saw the downed Rabbits.

"Wrong. It doesn't have some strange power. It just helps me see more clearly without the hair in the way." Yuki gave a small, smug smirk. "I was just fighting you with a handicap."

"Hm. The torture will be fun..."

"By the way...Fuji is stronger than me, even with my new weapon."

"..."

Without another word, the fight continued.

Mei and Yuki ran towards Pyr.

Pyr got in a fighting stance.

Yuki lowered his stance and made his way past a punch, only to put up a Shield to block an explosion.

Mei had two cubes of Trion next to her. As she started to slash at her opponent, the cubes split up and moved around the two, trying to hit their mark. She was pushed back and the Viper attacks had hit their mark, but didn't do muc damage.

Yuki quickly came back with his body covered in Scorpions. He started moving around Pyr and was able to land shallow slashes on her. He continued to get rid of one Scorpion after another when he saw a number appear on them.

The fight had turned into a simple one of punches, kicks, slashes, and explosions.

None if the fighters backed down and always seemed to be keeping up with each other.

If someone saw the scene, they would compare it to... **a fight between vicious animals.**

* * *

"What the heck is with these explosions?"

"If I had to guess... It's the fight Yuki-senpai is in."

"Then we need to hurry the hell up!"

The rest of the Tsukiko Squad made their way to where their leader and Operator were. They couldn't help but feel a little bit of fear when they continued on their way. As they got closer, they saw the scenery change from destroyed buildings to rubble scattered around to almost an open area.

They had faced the Trion soldiers multiple times and took out some Rabbits, but they felt as if they were traveling from their own world to a post-apocalyptic one. It didn't help that large explosions constantly shok the ground every few seconds.

"We haven't seen a Bail Out yet, so it's safe to assume that neither Mei-senpai or Yuki-senpai have lost, but for them to take this long with an opponent..."

"Hey, Take, have you ever seen Mei fight? I know Suzume hasn't, but you've been with them longer than either of us," Toby asked as he chopped down some weaker Trion soldiers, like they were suppose to do.

"...No. I came in a little after Mei-senpai became Yuki-senpai's Operator. I heard them speak about trying before, but have never actual seen then go at it," Takeshi answered as he shot more down.

"I bet she look really cool when she fight." Suzume shot a few more enemies.

"If she trained with Yuki, them of course she'd look cool!"

"But why would she switch from being a Combatant to an Operator? If she really is that good, then wouldn't it be better if she was fighting?"

"Good point. Maybe we can ask them about it when all of this is done."

"Yeah... Let's speed up. We also need to help around other places as well."

"Roger!"

* * *

"I'll give you two credit... Only Enedora has pissed me off this much with a fight..."

Mei and Yuki simply stared at their opponent.

'She's relentless. We don't have time for this if the Headquaters is under attack and they're going after the C-Ranks.'

'Why am I fighting again? Will everyone even be thankful with all the destruction?...' Mei shook her head a little as she got ready for another round. 'Can't think like that right now.'

"Fuji, got another other plan?" Yuki glanced at his friend and saw that she seemed to be spacing out a bit. "Mei!"

"H-huh? Oh... Yeah. But you need to use your Side Effect. Stop holding back that much."

"..."

"What? You don't like that?"

"...No. It's fine. Let's go."

"Right."

"And Mei..." Yuki looked forward again with a serious expression. "Stop thinking about pointless and stupid things."

He ran forward with a Scorpion in his hand. He tried to slash at her head, but missed. Not leaving an opening, he brought his leg up to for another slash.

Pyr grabbed the blade and a '1' appeared on it.

Yuki got rid of the blade and jumped behind Pyr.

'He's right. I have to focus on this.'

 _"Hey, Yuki-kun..."_

 _"Hm? What is it?"_

 _"...Can you tell me again...Why you chose me?"_

 _Yuki looked at his Operator as he finished up his bucket of ice-cream. He let out a small sigh. He knew that this was a constant question, but hated every time it was brought up. He never liked it when his friend got into this state of mind, so he always tried to keep her preoccupied on something else._

 _Mei continued to type on her computer as she waited for the answer. She had so many things going on in her head, so she needed to be reminded of things like this from time-to-time. She knew how her friend felt about the question, but she always asked anyways._

 _"So? What's your answer?"_

 _"Because you're the person I trust the most and always get the job done. You-"_

 _"I'm not talking about being your Operator, Kiyoshi."_

 _"...That's because... That's because we're alike in that we were lonely. We understand each other better than anyone." Yuki gave a big smile. "And because you're kinda cute, Fuji!"_

 _"Hm." Mei couldn't help the small smile that appeared on her own lips. "Save those kinds of lines for the C-Ranks that try and ask you out."_

 _"But that would give Suzu-chan some material."_

'That's right...' She made a big gash in Pyr's arm. 'I'm fighting because this is the city my friends are in.'

Mei made cut Pyr's right side.

Yuki copied it and got her left.

Mei tried to cut her mid-section, but was blocked.

Yuki copied it and got her back.

Mei jumped back and used Viper.

Yuki copied it and used Asteroid.

The mirror attacks continued on as Pyr's anger increased. For every hit Mei got on her, Yuki was able to get the opposite side.

That's when she had enough. Pyr slammed her foot onto the ground and a giant '1' appeared on the ground. The whole area was caught in a flash just before the massive explosion. Thinking she had won, Pyr let out a laugh, but was silenced when she was launched back into the air. That's where she saw that Yuki was also in the air.

"This probably don't take you down, but it should do some good damage to you." Mei was behind Pyr and got her in a headlock while trapping the Neighbor's arms with her feet. "Meteora."

The area was filled with explosions again, but this time to take out an intruder.

 **Bail Out.**

Yuki saw as a flash sped through the air. He got ready to attack again for another one-on-one battle.

When the smoke clear, he could see Pyr standing there with only minor injuries.

 _"Sorry, Yuki-kun. I couldn't take her out."_

"It's fine. I know you had other things of you mind, Mei-chan."

 _"Just to let you know... T_ _hey finally arrived."_

"About time."

Pyr started walking towards Yuki with rocks in her hand and a grin on her face. She threw the rocks at Yuki just as they started to glow.

"Asteroid."

A beam quickly got the rocks, making them explode before their rightful time.

"Porcupine!"

Pyr jumped up just in time to dodge multiple Scorpions trying to slice her body.

"I'm here too."

Pyr was shocked when she saw a small flash and tried to dodge in the air. She managed to nit get hit in the head, but another part of her mid-section was shot.

"Nice to fine have you guys here." Yuki gave a small smile as he saw them.

"I'm sorry we're late, Senpai."

"We tried to get her quickly, but had to deal with the other Neighbors!"

"We'll try out best now."

"It's fine. You're here now and that's what matters. Now let's finish this before any more damage is done."

"Roger, Captain!"

* * *

QOTC: What is your favorite Side Effect?

* * *

 **And there you have it! The fight was suppose to be longer, but I still hope you enjoyed it! If you didn't then that just means I didn't do a good enough job!**

 **So yeah, the fight was suppose to be longer and the flashback came out of nowhere, but I'm fine with how this turned out. Next time we finish it up with half T.S. Vs Pyr & the second half being everything else.**

 **Until next time, bye!**


	15. Tsukiko Squad: Part 5

**Welcome back! Here is number 15 for you all! Hope you enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer:** Don't own World Trigger!

 **Note: For those of you who have already read this chapter, the reason I'm reposting it is because I changed out Number 7 for a new chapter. That one focuses on Yuki. (I am sorry for the inconvenience)**

* * *

 **Chapter 15:** Tsukiko Squad: Part 5

* * *

"Mei-chan, give these three the info we've got."

 _"Already on it."_

Yuki pulled out his Idōgetsu again as the three received the information concerning their current opponent.

"Leave it to Yuki to be able to still be alive after something like that!"

"Mei-senpai, did well too."

"Honestly, it's a pretty basic Trigger, don't you think?"

"Whether or not it has a basic function or not doesn't matter. What matters now is that you three are here and she is already weakened quite a bit. It shouldn't take too long to take her out." Yuki looked around and saw that the area was completly leveled with no place to hide like before. "Suzu-chan, you need to keep on your toes when you shoot. Take-kun, get Laser Circus ready for the finale. Toby-kun, you're gonna be with me in distracting her."

"Gotcha!"

"Sure thing."

"Roger."

"Now, let's go."

Yuki and Toby ran forward while Suzume jumped back and three Trion orbs floated around Takeshi's head.

"Some more backup won't help you!" Pyr threw some rocks at the two in front of her. "But I'll take the two cuties as my pets as well!"

Toby and Yuki continued to run forward as the rocks we blasted by a beam.

Toby got ahead and started moving around Pyr and dodging her punches and kicks while getting shallow cuts all over her body.

When Yuki got close enough, his Idōgetsu transformed into its Gengetsu form, ready for a strike. He brought the weapon to the side and tried to slash at Pyr, but missed when she jumped into the air.

The jump only left her open to the attack from beams of Trion that quickly took one of her arms and a small shot that went right though her easily.

Pyr saw Toby making his way up to her and grabbed one of his blades before it could connect with her. She placed a mark on the blade before grabbing his arm. Before she could fully place the mark, Yuki was above the two and had his Mangetsu above his own head.

He used the heavy weapon to slam Pyr back to the ground.

When he landed next to Toby, he spun the weapon to where it was in its base form before telling Toby to get rid of the blade that was marked.

Pyr grinned as she stood back up. She was full of holes and missing body parts, but didn't seem effected by them in the least.

"Blow up, you damn pieces of shit!"

The ground started to glow and they could all see a giant '1' on the ground.

"Take-kun, use it now."

"Roger." Takeshi quickly got into the air and was followed by the orbs. "Laser Circus."

Three beams came out of each orb and started to branch out before it was a full rain that blasted the ground.

The glow stopped but there was no explosion, leaving Pyr confused.

"Suzu-chan."

"Yes, sir!" From her spot a few feet away, Suzume shot small, quick and deadly shot.

Pyr didn't notice the attack and would have got the hit to the head if it wasn't for some kind of hole opening up and taking the shot in before closing up.

"Hm. Looks like Mira's being a little generous towards me."

 _"You guys, that's a wormhole making Trigger that has appeared at the end of the fight Izumi was in. A woman with black horns had appeared to take back the humanoid Neighbor."_

"So we can assume that the woman you're talking about would rather take this woman away instead of kill her...Alright then." Yuki spun his weapon again and stopped when it was in its Jikantsuki form. "Take-kun, your job is to wait until they come to get this woman and use either Viper or Hound to get the Black Trigger user."

"Alright."

"Mei-chan, you wanted to know what my Trump Card was called, right?"

 _"I see. Better not miss then."_

"I feel kinda insulted by that."

 _"Just hurry up."_

Getting a grin on his face, Yuki rushed forward with Toby. The two moved around easily even while the ground under them were exploding.

After getter a few slashing in, the two quickly jumped to the side as two explosions caused dust to fly into the air.

Suzume used the dust as a smokescreen and got close enough to take Pyr's second arm off with her Hidden Stinger. She jumped back to dodge a kick and landed another hit with her Lightning.

"You bitch!"

Pyr kicked her falling leg towards Suzume, but Yuki appeared in front of his teammate and sliced the arm.

'He put marks on the rest of them!' Pyr let out a breath before slamming her foot on the ground. "Fine then!"

Started running around the area while dodging the shots fired by Suzume and the slashes from Toby. With each step taken, a number appeared. She changed direction and quickly made her way to Yuki.

Instead of trying to kick him, she grinned and slammed both feet on the ground.

That's when every place she had stepped on started to glow. One after another, each place started exploding. This chain explosion went all around the field and came back a few feet away from Pyr.

'Hm. That should do it.'

"Man, that was a close one. I really need to thank the people who made this Trigger."

Instead of being caught in any explosion, Yuki, along with Toby, was standing safely behind what looked like a Fullgaurd. The only thing that was different was the small spikes coming off of it and going towards Pyr.

Pyr jumped back to dodge the strikes.

The spikes retreated and the shield was gone.

"Man...That sudden Trion consumption sucks though..." Yuki said from his kneeling position on the ground.

'How the hell are these pieces of Meeden shit still alive!? Screw it! I'll just take them all out and have Mira take this guy from their Headquarters!' Pyr got a psychotic grin on her face as a '1' appeared on her stomach. "No way you bastards will escape this! No shield can withstand this! I'll make sure-" Pyr went wide eyed when Yuki was instantly in front of her.

Yuki stabbed his Idōgetsu into her stomach while it was in its base form.

"That won't stop-! Wh-what the hell!? Why won't it explode!" That's when she noticed something else. "Why can't I move!? What the hell did you do, you damn Meeden Bastard!?"

"Shingetsu." Yuki looked up with a grin as his body started to crack. "'Pour all remaining Trion into the opponent for different effects.' That's what I was told to do. I guess when I stab it into someone...They can't use their Trion or move. Thank you, Pyr, for being my guinea pig."

"Why you-"

"Scorpion!"

Toby was quickly above them and came down, slicing through Pyr.

To add insult to injury, Suzume shot a hole through her head.

"Hm. Finally over. Too bad I have to go back. You guys make sure you stay to the very end."

 **Limit exceeded. Bail Out.**

Yuki was gone in a flash that sped towards the Border Headquarters.

* * *

"You really have improved. The fact you were able to last that long is really amazing." Mei look at her friend as he lay on the mat.

"Than-" He was interrupted by a large amount of coughing. This continued for another minute or so and Mei had brought him a bottle of water and pills. "This doesn't look good..."

Mei looked down and saw that Yuki had apparently coughed up blood onto his hand. A worried expression came to her face as she helped him sit up and take his pills.

"You're probably mentally exhausted. Take a rest or you won't be able to get up for a while," she said as she brought him to the side and sat him down against the wall.

"It's fine. I want to see how everything plays out."

"..."

"Don't give me that silence. I'll be fine, Fuji."

"...If you say so..." Mei went back over to computer to see Takeshi let out his Viper, but fail at getting his target. "Damn. So close too."

 _"I'm sorry, Senpai. I was too late to get the hits."_

"It's fine, Take, it's still one enemy down." Yuki put his head on his knees and held it. "Mei-chan, what do the other battlefields look like?"

"Suwa Squad had trapped the rampaging Neighbor in the training rooms. Jin-san and Kuga-kun are facing off with two more humanoid Neighbors. The last one seems to be a big battlefield with Torimaru-kun and Mikumo-kun taking the C-Ranks to HQ. Izumi, Yosuke and Midorikawa-kun are headed in that direction."

"Hm...Jin and Yuma should be fine on their own and if I know him as well as I think, Shinoda-san will most likely take care of the one in the training room... I want to guys to go help Karasuma and Mikumo. Make sure that the C-Ranks are safe and are able to make it here."

 _"Yes, sir!"_

"Take, if anything sudden comes up, I want you to take charge of the other two."

 _"Roger."_

"Give it your best, guys," Mei said before the line was cut. She looked over at Yuki and saw that he was covering his face. "Are you alright?"

"...Yeah... Just thinking..."

"That's odd. That solemn aura you're giving off doesn't seem like something either one."

"Heh. You're right. Neither Yuki nor Kiyoshi would be acting like this." He lifted his head enough to where his eyes were shown looking at the ground. "One would want to get back into the fight as soon as possible while the other would want to make sure everyone is alright..."

"..."

"I guess I'll take a small nap. It's never fun to get a scolding from you, no matter who I am."

"...I'll wake you up later."

"Thanks."

* * *

"Since HQ is currently unsafe, Senpai, you should find a good spot to snipe. Toby, when we get to the spot, go all out from the beginning and get rid of the new models. Even if we need to defeat the enemies, remember that the C-Ranks' safety is also important. We have to make sure that none get captured."

"Right!"

"And Senpai, if another humanoid appear, we'll need you to find their Rhythm as fast as you can. Even if there will be A-Ranks there, that doesn't mean we'll have the advantage."

"That's fine and all, but... Honestly, what's with that weird flying fish?"

"Flying fish?..." Looking over, Takeshi saw a large amount of fish speeding down at one direction and found the source to be a single man. "Another one... Crap! Laser Circus!"

Trion orbs quickly appeared by Takeshi's head and let out beams that branched out and went split up between going for the man, stopping the fish, and finding the right target on the ground.

The man spared a short glance at the beams before a wall of fish surrounded him.

The three watched in shock as cubes of Trion fell to the ground at the man's feet.

Takeshi and Toby made their way over to the crowd of people and landed just in time to see Midorikawa Bail Out and Yoneya get punched away.

"Kotowari, Awdry! I thought I recognized that move."

"Izumi-senpai, what's going on right now?"

"Right now, we need to deal with this Exciting Animal Bastard. You're perfect for the job."

"Right. Toby, go help Torimaru-senpai out." Takeshi saw someone from the corner of his eye and looked over. "Mikumo?"

"Hey, Megane-kun, take the girl and run!" A cube of Trion appeared in front of Izumi and spilt up into smaller cubes. "Hound!"

"Asteroid!"

While Izumi shot out his Trion at the on coming birds, Takeshi shot out his beams.

The attacks from the Shooters quickly turned into cubes of Trion and landed in the ground with a soft thud. The only difference was that the beams from Takeshi were relentless and continued to take down one bird after another.

 _"Take, look at your feet!"_

Hearing the Sniper's voice yell at him, Takeshi did as he was told and quickly jumped up as lizards walked onto the ground he was standing on.

Izumi wasn't so lucky and lost the use of his legs, making him fall to the ground.

"High firepower. Nuanced Trion control. Befitting of one who exchanged fire with Ranbanein," the man said as he walked closer to Izumi.

Just as Takeshi was about to let out more beams, he saw Osamu off to the side with a large cube of Trion in front of him.

The glasses-wearing boy shot out large Asteroids, that were quickly turned into cubes that fell to the ground.

'What the hell was he thinking!?' The orbs let out more beams as Takeshi saw birds start going for Osamu and Chika. "Viper!"

The beams clashed with the birds again along with the small dust-like shots Osamu had let out. This caused a chain explosion that made it hard for Takeshi to see what was going on.

When he could see through the smoke again...it was too late.

Chika was turned into a cube.

While he was a little shocked by that, Takeshi quickly regained his composure and let out more beams that stopped the next round of birds. They weren't the only things to hit the birds as Izumi's shorts also hit.

"Don't just sulk there, idiot!"

"Megane-kun, you can save her if you get her to the base!"

They could see that Osamu was thinking and regaining his own composure. He seemed to gain his resolve and stand up with the cubed Chika under his arm.

"I'm going to the base! I need cover fire, please!"

The orbs were back by Takeshi and a cube of Trion was by Izumi's side. The two Shooters got ready to let out a barrage of bullets to cover for their fellow Shooter.

"I gotta score...a return hit on this guy or it won't sit right with me."

From atop a building, Takeshi could see some of the Rabbits going towards Osamu at a high speed.

 _"Leave the flying one to me."_

"I'll distract the one Shun freed up!"

From some direction, a shot was fired that easily destroyed one of the Rabbits' 'eye', making it fall to the ground.

Another Rabbit was stopped when it had to block an attack from multiple blades spinning around.

That left the last one. One that was able to fire a laser beam.

'Crap. I have to keep this guy at bay...'

 _"Take-kun, see if you can spare one 'laser' to help Mikumo-kun."_

'Easier said than done, Senpai. This guy is a hassle by himself.' Takeshi let out a sigh as changed the direction of one of the beams to where Osamu was. "Gimlet."

As he let out the beam, a powerful shield came between Osamu and the Rabbit in front of him, letting the beam piece through the Rabbit and not hit the other B-Rank.

After that, one of the orbs disappeared.

'Damn. Running out of Trion at a time like this...'

 **-1-**

"Hedgehog!"

Toby got between Osamu and Replica in time to stop them from getting hit by a punch and was able to stall it long enough for Suzume to get a shot in and destroy its 'eye'.

"You okay, Osamu?" Toby asked with his back to Osamu. "And what's that black robot thing?"

"I'm fine, thanks to you and Takeshi. And this is Replica. He's on our side."

"I figured that when he defended you. Nice to meet you, Replica. Too bad our meeting couldn't be on better grounds."

[Agreed. And thank you for helping out Osamu.]

"You guys are headed for HQ, right? Mind some company? I'll be your personal bodyguard."

"Ah! That would be really appreciated!"

"That cool with the rest of you? I know I was suppose to stay and help, but...This guy really needs me."

 _"Yeah. Just make sure to actually protect him."_

 _"Just go. Suzume-senpai, I need you to focus on the guy now."_

 _"Sure thing. And make sure Chika-chan gets well too."_

Toby turned around and gave Osamu a thumbs up while saying, "I was given the ok. Now let's go."

With that, the three started to leave while the battle continued.

"Replica, if you're here...Is Kuga going to be all right!?" Osamu asked as they ran.

[He will be fine. I will prioritize your and Chika's rescue. It is what Yuma decided for himself.]

"Kuga...!"

[Hurry. According to Jin...The future crossroads hinge on whether you and Chika get to the base.]

"Good new is that Mei told me that Suwa Squad was able to lock the HQ Raging Neighbor in a training room. That place is currently safe, and as long as I'm here, you'll make it to your destination."

"All right! Let's go!"

* * *

"Why is this guy so annoying?"

"Just focus on stopping this attacks."

Both Izumi and Takeshi continued to counter each attack made on them.

Seeing that birds were getting nowhere, the man changed the animal forms into bees. They sped towards the two in different directions and were almost completly stopped by the shots fired at them.

The few that managed to slip past Izumi's shots were quickly gone by Takeshi's beams.

"What's wrong?" the man said. "Weren't you going to pay me back?"

"Don't play it cool, Exciting Animal Bastard. I'm starting to figure it out," Izumi retorted. "I'm guessing your Trigger... _Only works against Trion._ Meteora!"

Explosive shots were fired at the buildings around, making Takeshi jump down next to Izumi.

The buildings and surround poles started to fall on the man, making dust fly into the air.

'This battlefield is left to Senpai, while Mikumo is left to Toby...Damn it all.' Takeshi could see the man walking up to them through the dust and let out a sigh.

"Attacks without Trion." He looked at the two. "Good idea, but... It would take more rubble than that to bury me."

"Sheesh... I wish there were more buildings on this block... Just kidding."

From two different directions, shots were fired, going right through the man's defense and taking part of his side and part of his leg.

"What!?"

* * *

QOTC: Favorite between Asteroid, Viper, Hound, and Meteora?

QOTC2: Tomahawk or Gimlet?

* * *

 **And there you have it! I hope you enjoyed! If you didn't then I just didn't do a good enough job!**

 **So the ending to the Pyr fight was shorter and more anti-climactic as I had planned, but I just wanted to finally get it done. But that's just my own opinion of it. You may think otherwise.**

 **Next thing I have to say is that the invasion will either end next chapter or the one after that. I am determined to end it at one of those times.**

 **That's all. So until next time, bye-bye!**


	16. Invasion: Part 4

**And here is number 16 for you all! Hope you enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer:** Don't own WT

 **Warning** : This chapter sucks... Like _really_ sucks

* * *

 **Chapter 16:** Invasion: Part 4

* * *

'Looks like it worked.'

Takeshi and Izumi stared down their opponent as they saw the hole that were made in him by the Snipers.

The shot continued from not only Tsukiko's Sniper, but from the roof of the Border a Headquarters as well. The shots were blocked, but did a good job at taking out some of the defenses.

"All right. Let's see who has more stamina." Two cubes of Trion formed in Izumi's hands. "Asteroid!"

"Viper."

The shots and beams were let out and hit the fish moving around. Like before, this left cubes of Trion falling to the ground, but also let some spots open for the snipers.

The snipers gladly took the opening and were able to get Hairein's arm twice and part of his leg.

"They can hit him!? Our snipers are unbelievable!" Izumi said with a grin from the ground.

"That goes without saying," Takeshi retorted. 'And no matter how small the opening, Suzume-senpai's Stinger will also make its way to the target.' Takeshi saw that his opponent seemed to be talking to someone and let out more beams. 'Can't let him contact his comrades...'

"Guess they took out the snipers."

"Not all of them. One is still on the move and she can take care of herself."

Another shot was fired, taking a part of Hairein's other leg.

"Oh yeah. I forgot about her."

"A single sniper is left... You two think you've won, right?"

The two Shooters watched as the Trion cubes on the ground started being absorbed by the egg in Hairein's hand. They could see his wounds start to heal.

"You fought well. Though it was a wasted effort."

'One more...'

"Begone."

"Laser Circus."

As a large amount of fish sped towards the two, the orbs surrounded Hairein and let out a single beam each before branching off for a barrage of beams.

 **Limit Exceeded. Bail Out.**

Hairein watched as the two sped off to the Border Headquarters in flashes of light.

"Too bad. They would have been useful if captured."

* * *

"Sorry, Yuki-senpai. I wasn't able to help out as much as planned," Takeshi said as he walked up behind Mei's chair.

"It's fine, Take-kun. And he's asleep right now, so try and keep quiet," Mei answered as she kept her eyes in the screen. "Suzume is still out there and now we know that he can absorb any of the Trion cubes left around."

"Tobs, make sure Mikumo makes it there. There won't be anyone to help you out."

 _"I know. I wasn't planning on anyone helping. Besides, unlike you, I have a good amount of Trion left."_

"After this, I'm gonna kick your ass."

 _"You can try~~"_

"Both of you, stop. Take-kun, you just go relax and watch Torimaru-kun at work."

"Huh? He's using that?" Takeshi got a small smirk on his face. "I guess I don't have anything else to do."

* * *

" **200 seconds until Bail Out. Begin countdown."**

Karasuma saw one of the Rabits trying to punch him, but reacted quickly and sliced the top of it, bringing it down.

"Yoneya-senpai, the escaping trainees are heading to the base via a detour. Several agents that got cubified are on the street. Can yon retrieve and protect them? I won't be able to go help them anymore."

"Okay. _After_ you Bail Out. Let me have some fun too. I'd hate to pass up a Black Trigger."

"Roger. Stick with me for three minutes."

Karasuma rushed at their opponent and tried for a slash, but had to dodge an oncoming attack from the fish that came from Hairen's egg.

He jumped from a building, to a pole, to the ground and continued to dodge and cut buildings down to try and bury his opponent. None this seemed to work as Hairein just moved out of the way from all the falling buildings.

But that's not all he had to dodge.

Seeing that the Neighbor was distracted by Karasuma, Yoneya used this chance to launch some broken concrete at the opponents head. This helped to scatter the fish that was around him.

Likewise, from her hidden spot, Suzume took another shot and got a hit on his leg again.

Seeing his chance, Karasuma quickly got behind Hairein and had his blade ready to strike. He made the attack, but noticed something when he made contact.

His sword was missing the end of it.

Looking ahead, he saw small bees under Hairein's cloak.

He quickly jumped back to dodge the swarm of bees headed for him.

'Less than a minute left. A little longer and Osamu will...'

"Captain Hairein."

Both Border agents went wide eyed when they saw a portal open up next to the Neighbor and a woman was shown to be the one who opened said portal.

'The wormhole woman! Isn't she fighting Narasaka right now?'

The man stepped into the portal with a final glance at Karasuma.

"I will stall them no longer."

The portal started to close as Karasuma rushed forward again.

Karasuma felt something hit his back and turned to see another portal behind him with fish coming out of it.

"Skilled. A well thought out plan. You have the power to fight. But the outcome...was decided beforehand."

 _"One shot."_

Yoneya watched as Karasuma had to Bail Out and a shot was fired, making it before the portal closed.

* * *

[Torimaru Bailed Out.]

Osamu and Toby looked at Replica as the three continued to run to the Border Headquarter.

[About 120 meters until our goal, the base.]

The three stopped when they saw something on too of a roof. More accurately, it was a _someone_.

[This is the final obstacle. Let's push our was through, Osamu, Toby.]

The three quirky hid behind a building and went over what their plan was going to be. Deciding it was best to let Toby hold off the opponent, they got ready to run with Replica sending a small clone of himself ahead of them.

That's when they saw some birds flying towards them.

Thinking quickly, Replica put up a shield - that quickly got turned into cube - as Osamu and Toby jumped back.

"A cubing Trigger!"

[Torimaru said that those bullets only work on Trion.]

'Damn! I'm at a disadvantage when it comes to long range stuff like this.'

"If we use the buildings as cover..."

[That would take too long.] Replica turned to one of the buildings and made an entry way for them all to go through. [This way.]

"You guys can go. My job is to keep any enemies at bay for you," Toby said as he brought out a blade.

 _"No. Go with them, Toby-kun."_

Thinking it was better to talk while running, he followed the two into the building.

"Huh? But Mei-"

 _"It's fine. A_ special _someone is headed your way to help. Not only that, but a_ certain _someone is close by as well."_

"Why not just say the names!?"

[We should proceed through the buildings. They will not see us from above either. Be careful not to get locked in.]

 **-1-**

"Mira. Leave it to the Rabits there and come down. It shouldn't take much longer."

"Oh-ho! What shouldn't take much longer, exactly? Keeping secrets from a teacher isn't welcomed, you know?"

Something flew passed Hairein's head and scattered the fish around him. He turned around just in time to get a hard punch to the face that sent him smashing to the ground and creating a crater.

On the building Hairein once was stood Akasora in his real body. The only difference from his usual appearance was that he now wore a black bracelet that seemed to just float around his wrist.

"I'm sure you can guess that I'm here more to stall you than actually beat you." He lifted his arm and looked at the bracelet at his wrist. "I haven't used this thing in a while, so I doubt I _could_ actually beat you before you got any back-up. Lucky you, right? If it was my nephew though... Let's just not go there, okay?"

'Another Black Trigger? How did we not know about this?'

"That's because only a handful of people actually knew this one existed. It's not been in use for a long while and I made sure Masafumi kept it off any records." Akasora saw Hairein narrow his eyes a little and smirked. "It's ability isn't telepathy or anything. It's just written all over you face."

"If you had a Black Trigger, then why wait this long to use it? You could have saved-"

"True, true. But, you see, the thing is that this little Trigger is a bit... _difficult,_ in that it is actually made up of three parts. Each part was given to different people, so I needed to drag myself all around to find the last two people. It didn't help that one of them was my C-Rank nephew who had been trying to get away from one of your soldiers with the others."

"..."

"Speaking of which..." Akasora glared down at his opponent with a look that made Hairein unconsciously move back a little. "I need to pay you back for all of this."

Not wasting any more time talking, he jumped from the buildings and with a powerful kick rushed at Hairein as a high speed.

'He's faster than the last one!'

Akasora kicked up some rocks and made sure to use them to mess up the fish floating around.

That's when the bracelet started to transform into a sword hilt and a blade of Trion was made.

He tried to slash, but noticed something moving under the cloak and quickly moved his feet to where he was able to take Hairein's arm that didn't have the egg in it. He jumped back to dodge some birds.

The hilt transformed back into a bracelet and started to glow pink.

Akasora punched a nearby pole, making it fall to the ground. He grabbed it and threw it at Hairein, but missed. He jumped up and the bracelet started to get a pink glow on it. He went for a heel drop, but saw some fish headed towards him.

The bracelet glowed yellow before a yellow wall appeared under his feet and turned into cubes as the fish came in contact with it.

The glowing complete stopped and this gave Akasora the chance to go right through them all and straight for his actual target.

Or that was the plan at least...

The teacher went wide eyed when a hole opened in front of Hairein and took Akasora in it.

'Damn! Too late!'

"Let's go, Mira," Hairein said as he looked over to his comrade.

"Yes."

* * *

 _"Be careful you three. Akasora-san got warped somewhere. The enemy will now be targeting you again."_

"What!? It haven't even been that long!" Toby let out a sigh as he and Osamu ran through another house while Replica floated by them.

 _"Just make yourself useful and be a distraction for Mikumo, would you?"_

"What!? (Screw you!)"

[We'll rech the base in four or five more houses.]

The three stopped when they saw a hole open up and multiple fish come through it. Not thinking too long on the matter, they went to a different room, but didn't notice the trap laid out for them.

The two human ended up stepping on jellyfish that turned their legs into jelly. They quickly destroyed a wall and landed on the street.

[Get up. Just a little further. I'm don't analyzing the door.]

"Well then let's go for one last rush."

[Not good. The other humanoid showed up. She has a Black Trigger that makes wormholes...and is staking out the entrance.]

The three heard a thud and turned to see Hairein standing there with birds flying around him and no injuries to be seen.

Toby quickly cut his jelly-leg off and replaced it with a Scorpion before standing in front of Osamu and Replica with another Scorpion in hand.

[Either we shove her out of the way and force our way into the base...head to another entrance... or run away and wait for Yuma or Jin to arrive. We cannot fight them.]

'If Mr. Akasora was the 'special someone,' then who is the 'certain someone'?' As Toby thought this, footsteps could be heard from behind them. Quickly turning around he saw who the 'certain someone' actually was. 'Awesome!'

"I've confirmed the target... I'll handle it."

"Shuji!"

"Feh... You insist on using me! Jin!"

"Miwa-senpai... Please... Take Chika! She's a trainee on my squad who's been cubified! We'll stop the Neighbor here! Please... Take Chika and save her!"

Toby took a side glance and shook his head. He heard the sound of a kick connecting and let out a small sigh.

"I don't care. Don't depend on others."

"What's this? Aren't you his ally?"

"Shut up, Neighbor. All you need to know...is that I'm going to kill you."

Toby made his way to Osamu and stood in front of him.

"Let's just keep going. We're almost there and I know for a fact that Shuji is probably more than enough to deal with this guy," Toby said a little forcefully. "We don't have time to watch this fight."

"R-right!" Osamu turned around and started to make his way to the base once again. "But he's going one-on-one with a Black Trigger!"

"Osamu, remember that he has his Lead Bullets. Even if he didn't, he'd still be fine."

[Thats right. The enemy's shots...are shaped like animals, but are not solid.]

"Exactly. Since they aren't solid...they can't block the Lead Bullets."

 **-2-**

The three hid behind a building as they saw a hole in front of the entrance. They noticed that it was linked to the Neighbor ship.

Before they could do much more, they were attacked by three needles coming out of more holes behind them as the last Neighbor came up from another one.

"Target acquired."

They moved away as Replica shot out Bolt and Osamu and Toby ran to the side.

[Don't go out in the open. She will strike you with those spikes.]

"Damn it! Another one I'm bad against! Why could you stay, Take!?"

"Resign yourselves to your fate," the Neighbor said as she appeared in front of them. "Futile resistance annoys me."

"And people who hurt and go after my friends _annoys me_." Toby stood in front of Osamu as he got ready to attack.

That's when a black Rabit appeared and tried to land a punch to the Neighbor. When it missed, it went for another attack.

Holes appeared around it and shot out spikes,up it didn't seem to have much of an effect on the black Rabit.

Toby used the chance and teleported behind the Neighbor with his Scorpion-leg ready to strike. He saw a hole open up and quickly turned his gaze to teleport again. He jumped up to try and land a hit, but it failed again. After many attempts, he was back to being in front do Osamu.

"Damn it. This chick's really irritating. I can't get anywhere, even with Teleport."

[Calm down. If you rush in without much of a plan, she'll send you far away. Osamu, stay close to the Rabit or she'll-]

Toby and Osamu went wide eyed when they saw a small hole open up and slice Replica in half.

"Like I said... Futile resistance annoys me."

 **SSSSHHHHH**

The Neighbor moved slightly to the side as a shot went right past her and hit the ground in front of Toby.

The black Rabit went for another punch as Osamu picked up one half of Replica as the two ran and hid.

They heard a crash and looked over to see Hairein come crashing through a building. They then saw some birds fly towards the black Rabit and turn its arm into cubes of Trion.

"Damn! They're just taking it apart piece by piece!"

[Hold on.] A small cord came form Replica and went to the three magnets stuck in Osamu's arm. [I removed the tracking beacon.]

"Replica! Are you all right!?"

[I switched to auxiliary systems. Most functions have terminated. But I can still open the entrance to the base.]

"Okay... One real final rush, right? I'll be the shield while Osamu gets you to the door."

[Yes, but... I'm not done analyzing the entrance yet. It will take about 20 seconds to open the door. Osamu will have to evade attacks in the meantime while you defend us, Toby.]

"20 seconds, huh? I can do that."

[I have an idea.]

"We're ready to listen. Just tell us what to do and we'll do it."

[It will take 20 seconds to open the door even if we make it to the base. It will be difficult for me to defend you and Chika for 20 seconds the way I am. Even if we have Toby protect you two for that time, he is at a big disadvantage and mostly likely will last for 10 seconds. But a Neighbor system I will be able...to analyze and override instantly.]

"Hey now... You don't really plan to..."

[Yuma is on his way. But it will take him some time. We will not be able to escape in Miwa is defeated. The choice is up to you. But if you want to enact _that plan_...do it while Miwa is fighting.]

Toby glanced over to see Osamu let out a sigh and steal his resolve. He let out his own sigh.

'Suzume, thanks for the shot earlier, but why aren't out helping right now?'

 _'I was busy with something.'_

'And that would be?'

 **CRASH!**

"Now...!"

The two ran behind the black Rabit. They saw more birds headed towards them before the black Rabit blocked the bits for them. Part of its core had been cubified from the attack, making it fall to the ground.

Small hole appeared just above the two with spikes come out of them. Not all if them hit though as Toby was able to push Osamu forward enough to where they just got his leg.

Seeing more birds go for them, Toby put up a Shield to protect Osamu before getting hit by some birds himself.

"Shit! Go, Osamu! Bail out!"

Some of the birds had made it past some opening in the shield and made their way to imobalized Osamu.

"Trigger off!"

The birds went right by the spikes as Osamu ran towards the opening in front of the entrance.

Osamu saw Hairein running at him and tried to run faster. Just before reaching the entrance, spikes came from the ground and pierced his stomach, side and leg.

[Osamu. Throw me!]

 **BANG! BANG! BANG!**

Multiple shots were heard from the top of the Headquarters and even from one particular side. The shots continued to turn the fish into cubes as Hairein ran.

Hairein thought he would be able to get to Osamu before the shots to get him and didn't notice the streaks of green on the ground.

 **SHOOSH!**

Slashes form the ground came up and sliced him up.

 **PYEW!**

More powerful shots hit their target, compelled destroying the Neighbor leader.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

Osamu used all his might to throw Replica into the hole and into the Neighbor ships.

[Infiltration complete.]

* * *

QOTC: Favorite invasion fight?

* * *

 **And there you have it! If you didn't like it then I don't blame you!**

 **I don't have much to say. What I _do_ have to say though is that next chapter is the cool down time and that I didn't much like this chapter. It was a very... _weak_ chapter, but I just wanted to finally get it out of the way. Sorry if it sucked.**

 **That's all. So until next time, bye!**


	17. Yuki Tsukiko: Part 3

**And here is number 17! This one is actually an important one! So have fun reading it! Go!**

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own World Trigger and (A)Maya is owned by Awesome Sauce

* * *

 **Chapter 17:** Yuki Tsukiko: Part 3

* * *

"If you were there instead of me then Osamu would probably be fine!"

"Not with how much Trion I had left. You were the best option to help."

"Calm down. You both did well and I'm sure Mikumo-kun will be fine."

Yuki slowly opened his eyes to see the ground. He looked up to see Toby, Takeshi and Mei by the computer and blinked a few times to get the tiredness out of his eyes.

"Oh. You're awake," Mei said, looking from the monitor to Yuki. "You should really thank these guys for their hard work."

"What's the current situation?" Yuki asked, not moving from his spot.

"The invasion is over with multiple C-Ranks missing and Mikumo-kun injured. Suzume is helping around to take care of any remaining soldiers at the moment. These two here tried their best to stop the leader and protect Mikumo-kun so he could get Amatori-chan to HQ."

"So I'm assuming that Mikumo was taken to the hospital then." Yuki stood up and headed for the three. "And Suzu should be back soon."

"Both answers are a yes."

"We're sorry, Yuki. Take was running out of Trion and I couldn't do much to help Osamu out..."

The two youngest ones looked down in disappointment. They felt that they didn't just let their leader down, but also Osamu - and in Toby's case, Tamakoma as a whole. They heard a sigh and felt something land on their heads before ruffling their hair.

"You two did great. As did Suzu and Mei-chan. You were all terrific out there and I highly doubt anyone is going to blame you," Yuki said with a smile. "Since Mikumo was sent to the hospital, why don't you two go and wait for them to let visitors in? If you're really sorry, then you can also apologize to Tamakoma while you're there."

The two looked up at Yuki and simply gave nods before leaving.

Yuki let out a sigh as he sat against the wall behind Mei's chair as she continued to work on it.

"So? Have you figured out your answer?"

"Yeah. If I couldn't do that much after all this then I'd just end up being sentimental."

"You know... Despite the situation...it was fun fighting with you again."

"Hm. I can't argue with that. I'm just glad you didn't have your personal one. I'd end up having to watch out just in case I would have been in the crossfire."

"Well yours seems to have tons of ticks in it, just like you."

"Guess you're right."

"By the way, you missed out on Akasora-san using his Black Trigger."

"Seriously!?"

The two continued to talk for the rest of them day. They didn't move and no one seemed to even try and enter the room. No one contacted them either as the two just continued to think about the past and what had just occurred. They knew it wasn't really the time for it, but neither one seemed to care.

* * *

"Um... Mei-chan, you _do know_ that I can walk on my own...right?"

"Yes. And your point is?"

"I would like to do so."

"No."

Yuki let out a sigh as he was carried bridal style through the streets of Mikado City.

It had been three days since the invasion and Yuki had been stuck in his room for the three days. He still wasn't feeling well, but felt like he was the only one not doing anything to help. It took an hour of arguing and multiple bribes for Mei to let him out.

After struggling to get down, Yuki was finally able to walk without his friend worrying about him. They looked around and saw the damage that had been done to the area, but couldn't actually come to pity anyone who lived in the area. They knew they should have felt sympathy or pity for the people who had been hurt in any shape or form, but couldn't actually bring themselves to care.

It was one of their flaws.

"You two headed to HQ too?"

They looked to the side to see Akasora walking up to them with his hands in his pockets and a casual look on his face. It looked as if he hadn't even noticed the destroyed area.

"Yeah. I wanted to get out of my room for a while. Not to mention that Shinoda-san wanted to speak to me. I'm assuming the same could be said for you, Sensei."

"Yeah. I'm guessing it has something to do with this thing," the older one said, lifting his arm to show his Black Trigger. "It didn't even get much spotlight when the final act was going on. Granted, that wormhole lady is to blame for that."

"If it makes you feel any better, Miwa-kun was able to get some shots on her and Suzume got one."

"Hm. Guess I should thank them." Akasora took a small glance at the two at his side. "So... I heard you two went at it with one of the humanoid Neighbors and took out some of the new models."

"... Yes. That is correct. What about it?" Mei asked, looking up.

"I was just curious. I'm guessing you didn't show anyone the full extent of you two."

"... No... We didn't."

"'The beast disguised as a prince with claws sharp enough to tear a body in half with ease.' The prince was present during the fight while the beast stayed asleep. 'The weapon that is used by the princess to rule with authority that she deserves.' The two positions were switched which caused the princess to retreat for 'the three bears to arrive and take the hits,' or am I wrong?"

"Those phrases are old and tiring. You should think about other things, like your retirement. Old men speaking gibberish isn't what the kids want to hear during this era."

"Hahaha! Guess you're right! The beast and weapon can always come out whenever they want." He got a serious look on his face as he stopped and looked at the two. "But that doesn't mean they should."

* * *

"I'll see you later then."

"Yeah. See ya."

Yuki waved at Mei as she went a different way. He and Akasora started making their way down the Border HQ. They could see other agents passing by and giving them greetings - or weird looks in Akasora's case.

"So, when are you two going to hook up?" Akasora said with a grin. Being one of the people who has know both Mei and Yuki the longest, he could tell there was something between them. "You better get her now before someone takes her away."

"Hm. This coming from the guy who can't even get a date. I can at least be a 'prince' and get one while you're stuck at home watching some drama," Yuki said with his own smirk.

"Hm. Damn brat. I _can_ get a date if I wanted, but I have my teaching to focus on. Your two flees that are in my class don't help, you know."

"You keep telling yourself that." Yuki started a sway a little before having to keep his balance by holding onto the wall. "Urg. I guess I'm still not up for this..."

"You've got you pills, right?"

Yuki nodded his head before pulling out his small pill bottle. He took some out and put it on his hand. Just before he was going to put them in his mouth, someone ran by and made him drop them.

"Oh! I'm sorry!"

"It's fine." Yuki picked up the pills. "You seem to be in a hurry though."

The two males looked at the person who had just rushed by and saw that it was a girl with red-brown hair done in a braid and vibrant green eyes.

"Ah! Yeah. I need to go meet up with my squad and am running a little late," the girl said as she jogged in place.

"Well, don't let us keep you waiting," Yuki said as he gestured to hall.

"Right! Again, sorry! My name is Amaya! See ya later!"

With that she ran back down the hall, leaving the two males to stand there with different looks on their face.

"She was something, wasn't she?"

"Hm. That could be said about a lot of people I know."

* * *

The two just continued to talk casually as they walked. The topics changed from one thing to another. So much so that they didn't notice they were already at the door to Director Shinoda's office.

After knocking and checking to make no one else was in the room, Akasora opened the door to see Shinoda sitting behind his desk with papers all around.

"Hey, Masafumi~~ We're here~~"

"Chishi, Yuki. Come in and have a seat," Shinoda said, looking up from his work.

"So what's this all about? I figured we would be called with everyone around," Akasora said as he did as told.

"You will be called later, Chishi. I'm just telling you beforehand what will be happening."

"And what _will_ be happening?"

"A new branch."

The two sitting in the same side of the desk gave questioning looks. They could easily guess why a new branch was being made, but didn't get why they were being told about it, especially Yuki.

"As I'm sure you can figure out, this new branch is being made to take one of the spots that wasn't able to evacuate everyone during the invasion. The least fortified area." Shinoda turned his attention to his long time friend with a serious look still on his face. "You will be called in because-"

"Because you guys want me to be the branch's director, right?"

"Exactly."

"Sorry to disappoint, but I'm refusing. I mean if you asked way before then I'd say yes, but I have my job as a teacher. I don't care if the pay is different, you already know I like teaching."

"As you just said, I know about how much you care about teaching and your students, but I couldn't think of anyone better."

"So you're the one who nominated me. Not shocking in the slightest."

"Um... Sirs... Sorry to just butt in, but what does this have to do with me?" Yuki asked with his hand slightly raised. 'Please don't tell me they're thinking of...'

"I wanted you to join the new branch with Chishi," Shinoda said as he crossed his fingers. "Netsuki is getting quite a bit of flak from the area, so we figured that they would calm down a bit knowing that someone strong and experienced will be in their area. When I nominated Chishi, you and Mei came into mind. Kei is in Kido-san's faction while you two don't belong to any faction, so it would work just fine. You both are strong with or without any personalized Triggers, so that might ease their worries as well."

"While I do feel honored about being one of the people you thought of for this, I highly doubt Mei-chan will agree to it," Yuki said with a more serious expression. "I have already made up my mind, so this would actually be a good thing for me, but knowing her like I do, she will not want to follow."

"Even so, you alone is enough. There's also... _those two_."

"Hahaha! You really plan on putting those two and Kiyoshi here together!? Hahaha! That's a good one! You even thought of putting Fuji in as well!"

"This is no laughing matter," Shinoda said, slightly glaring at the other grown man. "While I would prefer them to be here at HQ, they also abide by their own rules at times and the other directors won't be able to keep them on a leash."

"So that's where I come in, right?" Akasora got a thoughtful expression. "Even if I do agree and all three end up in the new branch, what makes you think I could control the three of them? Kiyoshi here won't be much of an issue and even Mukuro isn't a problem most of the time, but that girl is something else all together. Even Fuji has no patience for her."

"And as you said, they go by their own rules at times. Her especially."

"Kiyoshi, you know here best and know how to stop her from going overboard. That's also why I want you in the new branch. If it comes down to it though... I may need to put Hoshi in-"

" **Fine.** "

"Oh-ho! Looks like the prince is gone and the beast stirs from its sleeps. Nice going there, Masafumi," Akasora said with a grin. "You know that's taboo with him."

"Yes, but as I said before, he's the only one who can properly deal with her. Hoshi is the second best option is he didn't agree."

"Hm. As long as Mukuro actually figures it our then I guess I'm fine with it."

"Then that just leaves your answer, Chishi."

Akasora looked from Yuki to Shinoda before letting out a sigh. While he didn't really want to switch from teaching to being a branch director, he knew that this was an important matter and his friend had gone straight to him for this matter.

That didn't mean he would enjoy it.

"What's the new branch going to be called?"

"Yagura Branch."

* * *

"So this is it, huh?" Mei asked as she sat next to Yuki.

"Yeah. Are you sure about your choice?" Yuki asked as he played around with the cup of ice-cream in his hand.

"I'm sure. I also think they'll be fine, but I want to keep an eye on them."

"It's not like we would be moving to a difference country or something."

"Still, my choice has been made." Mei gave a small glance to Yuki. "And I'm sure they won't see you much since you have to deal with the other two soon."

"Guess you're right."

"Will you still see them in the upcoming Rank Wars?"

"Of course. I want to see if my choice was correct."

The two sat in the squad's lounge with an almost suffocating atmosphere around them while they waited for the remaining three members. They could hear the footsteps and voices coming closer, but simply sat there.

"We're here!"

"They can see that, Senpai. No need to exclaim it."

"But making an entrance is important. Honestly, you don't know much, do you?"

"Hey, you three," Yuki said with a tired smile.

"Are you okay, Yuki? Are you getting enough sleep?" Toby asked as the three quickly went over.

"Yeah. I'm fine. I want to get down to why I called you three here though." Yuki finished his ice-cream as the three took their seats. "This is very important, so I want you three to listen carefully."

"Honestly, it sounds like you're about to tell use that you and Mei-san are married and that you're getting a divorce now." Seeing the serious expression on the older two's faces, Suzume held her tongue from any more comments.

"What did you want to tell us, Senpai?"

"The Tsukiko Squad is disbanding."

* * *

 **QOTC:** On a scale of 1-10, where would you put your name? (1 being super lame 10 being ultra awesome)

* * *

 **And there you have it! If you didn't enjoy this chapter then that just means I didn't do a good enough job!**

 **This chapter was shorter than I planned, but that's because I wanted to get straight to the point with this one. Next one will get back to 3000+ again.**

 **Oh man. Yuki chapters are always so much fun for me to write. I get to put so,e good stuff with Mei and everything _I know_ about him just makes me want to write more for him. Ironically enough, this fic's title is names off of him, yet he hasn't gotten much spotlight.**

 **That's all I have to say. Until next time, bye!**


	18. Mei Takaoto: Part 2

**And here is number 18! Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own World Trigger and Minoru is owned by yujonokage

* * *

 **Chapter 18:** Mei Takaoto: Part 2

* * *

 **Tick tick tick tick tick...**

Mei continued to type on her laptop at such a fast pace that most would think she was just pressing random keys. In reality she wasn't even sure what she was typing.

She was just thinking about everything going on from Yuki disbanding the squad to the press conference that was recently held. She already knew what her friend had planned, but still couldn't decide what she was more mad at, Yuki disbanding the squad or Osamu being a scapegoat for Border's image.

'Not to mention that both of them are coming back _and_ being in the new branch with him. With those three there, Hoshi-chan is obviously going to transfer there along with Shobu-kun.' Her typing got even more violent as she continued with these thoughts. "And those three idiots don't help..."

 **Tap tap tap...**

"He's completely shut himself in..."

 **Tap tap tap...**

"The other one has been moping around the whole place..."

 **Tap tap tap...**

"And she's even stopped taking incriminating photos..."

 **Tap tap-**

 **SLAM!**

"Can I help you!?"

Mei looked up and forward while the ground of people sitting just behind her jumped and turned back around. She let out a sigh and stood up before making her way to the table behind her. He slammed her hand on the table and gave each person a look.

"What do you people want?"

"A-ah... We were j-just wondering... W-we heard a rumor..."

Mei turned her sights to the one who was speaking, which was Midorikawa, making him close his mouth out of fear.

"You want to know if Tsukiko Squad really did disband, right?"

"Yes!"

Mei let out a sigh when she heard the unison answer. She knew that it would have easily gotten spread around the whole area by now since the former squad knew a good percentage of people.

That's when her mind went back to when Yuki had announced the disbandment.

 _"WHAT!?"_

 _"You're kidding, right?" Toby asked in a panicked voice._

 _"Hehehe... That's not a very good joke, Captain," Suzume said with a desperate tone._

 _"..."_

 _"Do you have anything to say on the matter, Take?"_

 _All attention when to the last person. They all waited for the usually bored boy to say something, seeing as he had known both Yuki and Mei longer than the other two._

 _"What..."_

 _"Hm?"_

 _"What the hell!?"_

 _Suzume and Toby went wide eyed when they heard their teammate yell. He was usually keeping a neutral tone that sounded like everything around him was boring, so hearing him yell as loudly as he did shocked them._

 _"Where the hell is this coming from!? Did you just get tired of us!?"_

 _"That's not it," Yuki said with a sigh. "There are a few reasons. The first is that I'm going to at a new branch being made along with Akasora-sensei and two others. Mostly like a few more will follow since the two of us will be there. Anyways, the other two that will be there will be difficult to handle and I don't want any of you actually meet them."_

 _"Honestly, don't you think that's a little impossible? We'll most likely meet them around at some point," Suzume said, trying to find something wrong to get Yuki to stay. "And what if others introduce us to them?"_

 _"The former is more true. Either way that's not the only reason." He pointed to the emblem on his chest and said, "This is also the reason." He could see the confuse written on their faces, so he continued. "I made two conditions when I accepted the spot of A-Rank. The first was that my personalized Trigger had certain aspects of Sensei's Black Trigger in it, like Mei-chan's."_

 _"And the second...?"_

 _"The second was that if I didn't deem you three to be strong enough for my expectations then I would be demoted back to B-Rank to help you out better. In a sense, the invasion was helpful to test how much you three have grown since you first joined my squad. Now I know how strong you really are and can stay as an A-Rank." Yuki stood up and gave them a smile before heading towards the door. "Isn't that great? I'm an A-Rank like you three wanted."_

 _Mei just watched as Yuki left the room and the three in front of her seemed to be frozen in place. She knew they must have felt just as bad as when she and Yuki had first met them._

 _'Well he_ did _help them out to this point. That selfish idiot. He knew how this would end. I wouldn't doubt that he went to Jin just to clarify whether or not they would act like this.' She let out a sigh and scratched the back of her head. "Look, you three-"_

 _"You knew, didn't you?" Takeshi looked up and glared at Mei as if it would change something. "You knew about those conditions, didn't you?"_

 _"Yes. Now stop acting like brats and pay attention." Without even noticing it, Mei's tone and expression turned into a cold one that would freeze anyone. "Besides being a jackass, he actually had another reason for this. He wants to fight you three."_

 _"Then why-"_

 _" **I am not done. Don't interrupt me.** " Her eyes seemed to be frozen and as if she wasn't actually there and spoke with venom in every word. "He wants you three to rise up to A-Rank so that he can fight with the three of you evenly. So you can come up with new tricks and strategies he couldn't even _try _to think of so that you three on are equal footing with him."_

 _"..."_

 _"Well, this means I don't have a squad either, and I'm not going with him..." She stood up and headed for the door without giving any of them a second glance. "If any of you need me, I'll be around."_

"Um... Mei...san?"

Snapping out of her thoughts, Mei saw that the group was looking at her with expecting eyes.

"Yes. Tsukiko Squad is officially disbanded."

"But what about the Rank Wars!? How are they going to do that!?" Hisato asked from his spot next to Midorikawa.

"I'm not sure. They may not even be in it this time. None of them have a squad anymore and even if they got smart enough to just make one with the three of them, I'm not sure if they would hold the same rank as before."

"Those three are strong in their own right, but Tsukiko both their Captain and ace. I'm wondering how they would fare now," Tsutsumi said from next to Suwa.

"And like Mei-san said, their ranking in general probably won't be the same with a new squad consisting of those three," Yoneya added from the table over.

"Regardless, they still have stuff like defense duty, so they need to get their act together," Kitora said from across Yoneya. While she may have seemed like she was berating them a bit, she was also concered about the whole ordeal. "They need to get their act together if they want to keep going."

"Moving away from that topic... There's something I've been wondering about," Shouhei said, turning from Kitora to Mei. "Mei-san, who are the other two people that are going to be in the new branch?"

"That's right! I forgot about that!"

"Those two..." Mei got a glossed over look in her eyes before seeming to talk without actually knowing she was doing so. Her tone was the coldest anyone had ever heard before. "The last two from that family."

"What family?"

"Taiyōko."

"Taiyōko... Taiyōko... Where have I heard that name before?"

"Most likely the news a few years back," Arashiyama said, walking up to the group and next to Mei. "Taiyōko Kesshō and Taiyōko Kaseki were well known on T.V. and different types of media for being great soldiers. They died a few years back, most likely due to the Neighbors from first invasion."

"He's right. I guess their solider genes got passed down because right now all four of their children are in Border."

"I got it! Is Taiyōko Hoshi one of their children?" Midorikawa asked.

"Yes. I'm sure you know her because she goes to your school," Mei said calmly.

"Yeah. She's in the same class as Awdry and Kotowari-senpai. She's one of the C-Ranks, isn't she?"

"Also correct. That being said, she is the youngest of the four and the only one to be a C-Rank. The other three are currently A-Rank. Each one has something particularly special about them. The oldest, Taiyōko Kushikage, has the raw talent of a string soldier and it didn't take long for her to become A-Rank. I myself have never won a single match against her."

"What!? Even _you_ can't beat her!?" Suwa yelled out. He hadn't actually seen Mei fight before, but he knew she had a great amount of skill from what others have said.

"Yes. Moving on is the second oldest child and the oldest brother, Taiyōko Kiyoshi... I don't know much about him..." As she said that, she averted her eyes from everyone and simply stared in a random direction. "The youngest brother and third youngest child is Taiyōko Mukuro. He is a genius who is able to outsmart multiple people older than him. His fighting style is... _odd_ , but once you see him fight, you would understand why he is an A-Rank. Lastly is Taiyōko Hoshi. She doesn't have much of an image for a soldier, but that's what makes her unique. In a family of soldiers, she is the normal one who is worming her way up through sheer effort and not on talent."

"You sure know a lot about them, Mei-san," Shouhei said.

"Yes, well, I know someone... _close_ to them, so of course I would know about them."

"Meimei!"

The whole group turned to see Minoru jogging up to them with Taka right at his side. He was holding a bouquet of wisteria in one hand and waving with the other.

"Minoru. Yes? What is it?"

"Some lady asked if I could give these to you," he said as he handed the bouquet to her. "She was actually pretty tall."

Mei took the card that was placed in the bouquet and glared at it as she silently read it to herself.

 _Fuji, Fuji, tell me how your garden grows._

"That bitch..."

Crumpling up the paper in he hand, Mei quickly turned and stormed away from the group. She could heard the others asking her things, but she ignored it all and continued to scare all the other people who saw her.

"Hey, what do I do with these?" Minoru asked as he quickly caught up to her.

"Burn them until there's nothing left." Not even looking at any particular, she threw the paper away while Minoru simply followed her.

"You don't like these flowers?"

"Wrong. I like the flowers, especially for their meaning."

"Hm? Then what's the problem?"

"The damn bitch who sent them is the issue."

Minoru went a little wide eyed at this. He didn't think that Mei could get like this or call someone something mean. He wondered just how bad this person was if she were to get so mad at something like this.

Mei on the other hand was furious because she knew that if she didn't do something now both she and Yuki would quickly lose patience for anyone. Which was what that person wanted.

* * *

"What did you say!? Do you honestly want to repeat that!?"

"I said that clearly you three weren't good enough for Kiyo-nii."

Mei and Minoru arrived at the sight of Suzume holding some guy by the from of his shirt with a pissed off expression and a red face. Some woman stood a few feta away while other agents watched with worry.

"Suzume, put him down. Mukuro, shut your mouth."Mei proceeded to stomp her way between the two and glare at the boy. "If you're going to pick fights with people then go find Kikuchihara and bug him."

"Hm? Oh. Hey there, Fu-nee."

" _Don't_ call me that."

The guy let out a tired sigh as he scratched the back of his head. He had expected as much from Mei, but still didn't like how things were turning out.

"Mei-san...you know this guy?"

"Yeah. This guy is Taiyōko Mukuro. He's an A-Rank that has been in Sweden to help the Border over there, along with her..." Her gaze went from the guy in front of her to the woman a few feet away. "Taiyōko Kushikage."

"Oh my, oh my! You actually remember me, Fuji-chan! That makes me so happy!" The woman walked up to them and went to give Mei a hug, but missed her target. "Boo~ You're no fun."

"What the hell is with the wisteria? Lemme guess, you just wanted to annoy me?"

"As perceptive as ever." Kushikage turned to Minoru with a sky grin. "And who is this? Did you get tired of my cute little brother and decide to go with this guy?"

"..."

"Hey! I have an idea!" She grabbed Mukuro in a one armed hug and got a big grin on her face. "Why don't we see who's stronger!? We'll use Mukuro here to determine that! You're new boyfriend verses Mukuro, then we'll fine Kiyoshi and have him fight to see who is stronger!"

'The natural soldier... Depraved even after years.'

"I don't know about this Kiyoshi person, but I'm up for a fight," Minoru said as he handed Suzume the bouquet. "So how are we going to do this?"

"I guess I don't have a choice," Mukuro sighed out. "Three matches sound fine to you?"

"Sure. I'm up for it."

"Minoru...you don't actually have to fight..." Mei glanced at Minoru then went back to glaring at Kushikage. "Besides... He's not someone you can beat. Your style of fighting is bad against his."

"Great! Even more of a challenge! Now I really want to fight him!"

"Then let's get started."

Mei watched as the two went off to get their fight started. She had forgotten that Suzume was there until she started talking. After a small discussion, the three girls went over to see the fights go down.

'As long as Yuki doesn't come by when they're fighting... I guess I could see how much stronger he's gotten...'

"Don't worry, Fuji-chan. Your new boyfriend will only get a mild beating."

'Just get this over with...'

* * *

QOTC: Who is your least favorite character?

* * *

 **And there you have it! I hope you all enjoyed! If you didn't then that just means I didn't do a good enough job!**

 **So, I kinda lied about the whole 3000+ words coming back this chapter, but that's because I actually didn't know what to add in this one. Next one is a fight chapter, so it should have a good amount of words. After that is probably one more oc-ish chapter then we get to the Rank Wars.**

 **That's all. So until next time, bye!**


	19. Hoshi Taiyōko

**So yeah... We are currently in a mini arc thing with Yuki and Mei... Just letting you know... This mini arc (which may or may not be done this chapter) will be in the 2000+ word range. Oh and... TROLL! Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer:** World Trigger isn't mine, Taka belongs to yujonokage and Kaede belongs to Awesome Sauce

* * *

 **Chapter 19:** Hoshi Taiyōko

* * *

"Where was I told to meet them?"

Hoshi scratched her head as she looked around the area. She had been at the Border Headquarters multiple times, but had somehow ended up getting lost quite easily.

She had to meet up with the new branch director along with the branch members, but messed up in her directions and was currently walking around, wondering where she was. It didn't help that there was no one around.

"I was just promoted to B-Rank and I'm going to be late to meet up with my new fellow branch members. Great..." She sighed as she remembered what had happened three days after the invasion as she played with the small moon barrette in her hair. 'I wonder if that senpai would be able to tell me where to go.'

 _"H-huh? A promotion? Sir, are you sure?"_

 _Hoshi stood in Director Shinoda's office with a shocked look on her face. She had just been told that she would be gaining enough points to be promoted to B-Rank and moved to a new branch that was being opened up._

 _She was happy at hearing this, but was confused as to why she would just be receiving points as if she did something major. She had skill, that was obvious to the ones who had seen her, but she didn't think she was good enough for something like that._

 _"Yes. I am completely sure," Shinoda said calmly with his hands folded on his desk. "Not only did you help with the evacuation during the invasion, but if have been told that you even helped Kotowari Takeshi and Awdry Toby to defeat one of the new models."_

 _"N-n-no, sir! That wasn't me! I-I mean I did_ try _to help, but it was Akasora-sensei who actually took it down! I wasn't even able to do much..." She looked down with her expression getting more sad. "I couldn't help Kotowari-kun or Awdry-kun... I'm sure I was just in the way..."_

 _"Really? From what I was told, you actually saved those two idiots when they were going to be cubified by the new model."_

 _The two turned to the door as Mei walked in with a calm expression on her face and seeming to be holding something in her hand._

 _"Taiyōko, this is Takaoto Mei, the person who is giving her point to you so that you can be promoted," Shinoda said, gesturing to Mei._

 _'She seems so familiar...' Hoshi could only stare as Mei gave her greeting. "So pretty..."_

 _"Hm?"_

 _"Ah! I'm sorry, Takaoto-senpai! I guessing I was thinking out loud!"_

 _"No. It's fine." Mei have a small smile while a tiny blush crept up on her cheeks._

 _"Um... If I may ask, Senpai... Why are you giving me your points? Wouldn't you need them more than me?"_

 _"No. I'm an Operator, so I won't be needing them." Seeing the confused look on the younger one's face, Mei gave a small laugh. "I_ use to be _an Combatant, but gave that up when a special someone made a promise with me."_

 _"They must be very special, Senpai."_

 _"Yeah... He's something else most of the time." Mei got a fond smile on her face as the blush grew a little more. "Anyways... I don't need the points, so I decided to give them to you. And before you ask, I'm doing it for two reasons. The first is a favor to someone. The second is that I know how hard you work and know that you really do deserve it."_

 _"Ah... Th-thank you, Takaoto-senpai!" Hoshi exclaimed with a bow._

 _"No need to be so formal. Just call me...Mei." Walking up to Hoshi, Mei opened her hand to show a crescent moon shaped barrette. "You're also very pretty. Hiding your face like that won't be getting you any guys, you know." Taking a step back, Mei gave a thumbs up. "There. Now you leveled up from pretty to beautiful."_

 _"Ahem. If I can have your attention again."_

 _"Ah! Yes! I'm sorry, sir!"_

 _"Hahaha. It's fine," Shinoda said with his own smile. "To finish this up, I want you to meet your fellow branch members in a few days. I have told them to meet up by the C-Rank booths. You should do the same."_

 _"Y-yes, sir! Thank you sir!" She quickly turned around and bowed to Mei again. "And thank you, Mei-senpai!"_

 _"Mei-chan is just fine."_

 _"M-Mei-chan..."_

'She is so nice...' Hoshi thought with a smile. "I wonder what squad she's with. Maybe I could visit them. She said she use to be a Combatant... Maybe I can ask her to be my mentor..."

"Ah... Where am I? Oh man, she's probably gonna threaten people again if I don't meet up with any of them soon..."

Looking ahead, Hoshi saw a boy looking around frantically. He looked to be at least three years younger than her and most definitely lost.

"Excuse me, little boy, are you lost?" Hoshi asked as she walked up to him.

"Huh? Oh! An agent! Great!" The boy quickly met her half way. "Could you please show me to where the C-Rank fighting booths are? I need to meet my sister and her squad there, but I'm lost."

"That makes two of us then. I'm sorry, but I'm also lost and going to the C-Rank booths."

"Huh? But aren't you an agent? How could you get lost?"

"I was really paying much attention to my surroundings," Hoshi said with a sheepish smile. "But why don't we try and find out way out of here together?"

"Alright! That sounds great!" The kid paused for a moment before giving Hoshi a sheepish grin of his own. "Um... I'm sorry, but can I use your phone to call my sis? I don't have mine on me and I want to make sure she doesn't do anything... _rash_."

"Oh. Okay." Pulling out her phone, Hoshi handed it to the kid.

After a minute or so of talking, the kid gave the phone back with a sigh.

"Thanks."

"Sure thing." The two started walking while Hoshi started a conversation. "So is your sister the overprotective type?"

"You have no idea," the kid said a she face palmed. "She can go pretty crazy when it comes to me."

"Don't worry, my siblings were the same," Hoshi said with a small giggle.

"'Were the same'?"

"Yeah..." She looked down with a sad smile. "My oldest brother got disowned a few years ago and I haven't spoken to him since then. We were very close, so that affected me the most. A year after that my sister and second oldest brother ended up getting shipped off to a Border in Sweden, so I was left alone..."

"What about you parents? Where were they?"

"They died when a Neighbor attacked... I had been a Border agent at the time, but... I couldn't do anything at the time..." Tears started to well up in her eyes as the memory came back.

"Hey, no need to cry," the kid said with a worried expression. Not knowing what to actually do, the kid wrapped his arms around Hoshi. "Our dad... He did of an illness before first invasion while our mom got captured during the first one... I sorta know how it feels to lose people important to you..."

"Hehehe... Thank you for that... And I'm sorry for just crying..." Hoshi gave a watery smile while the kid looked up with how own smile.

"Mm~ Mmmm~~"

Looking down, the two saw a Samoyed puppy at their feet, nuzzling their legs with its head. He seemed to be whining while its tail wagged.

"Hehehe. I guess this little pup is trying to comfort us," Hoshi said as she picked the puppy up. "Thank you, little guy." She then turned her attention back to the kid. "I forgot to tell you my name. I'm sorry. Hello. I am Taiyōko Hoshi. It is nice to meet you," she said with a small bow.

"Yeah. Nice to meet you too. My name's Tsukiko Kaede," the kid said with his own bow.

"And what about you, pup? What's you're name?"

"His name is Taka, and he's just a ball of energy most of the time," a person said a she walked up to them. "Hello there. I'm Inukai Sumiharu. That pup belong to a friend of mine. I saw him run by earlier, so I decided to try and catch him."

"Well I can see why he would be hard to catch." Hoshi laughed when Taka started licking her face. "Excuse us, Inukai-senpai, but do you know how to get to the C-Rank booths from here?"

"Hm? Sure. I'll show you two the way," Inukai said with a smile. "That's probably where this little guy's owner is. Just follow me."

* * *

"Thanks again for showing us the way, Inukai-senpai."

"Yeah. Thanks."

"No problem. Hope you two find the people you were looking for."

"Kaede! Over here!"

The three turned to see a girl waving at them while three others tried to hide their faces.

"Urg... Well, that's my sis..." He turned back to the other three. "It was nice meeting you. Hope we can meet again on better terms. See ya."

"Bye, Kaede-kun." Hoshi waved as the boy left. 'So that's his sister... I wonder what she's like...'

"Well I founded who I was looking for. I'll see ya around, Hoshi-chan."

"A-ah! Right! I'll see you later, Senpai!"

"Just call me Inu, 'kay?"

With that the other B-Rank and puppy left.

This left Hoshi to wander around the area aimlessly. She saw some familiar faces here and there, but none of them seemed to be the people she was looking for.

"What was the point of fighting us if you weren't going to take things seriously to the end?"

"Come on, Kiyo-nii~~ No need to be so rude~~"

"... _You_ wanted him to fight just because Mei was here... Right?"

"I really though that Minoru guy would win at least _once_. Guess I was wrong. But man was it surprising to find out he's gay! I'll also give it to him for not crying like a baby after our lovely bro here beat him down like crazy."

"He's not the type to get mad or sad after a loss."

"Oh? And you know this how?"

"Because unlike you, I make friends instead of enemies."

"Really now~~?"

Hearing the voices and name, Hoshi went wide eyed before rushing to them. She saw three people standing there. One was a pretty tall woman while the other two were older looking boys. She did recognize two of them though.

"Kushi-nee! Mu-nii!"

Running up to the, Hoshi spread out her arms and quickly latched on to Kushikage. She didn't care how she looked right now. She was too happy to see two of her siblings again.

"Hey, Ho-chan! You've grown haven't you? And you're a B-Rank now? That's awesome!"

"Hm? Who is this?" Hoshi asked, looking at the third person. "He seems...familiar..."

"That's because he's Ki- Gah!..."

"Hello. I don't think we've formally met yet. I am Tsukiko Yuki. Nice to make your acquaintance."

Hoshi looked from her downed brother to the boy giving her a bright smile. Her mind went right to Kaede when she heard the name, but remembered that the boy said he only had a sister.

"Um... Yeah... Nice to meet you two..."

"I may seem to be a new person to you, but I actually know quite a bit about you," Yuki said, forcing his smile even more. "My former Operator had told me she gave you her points from the invasion, making you a B-Rank. You are also a classmate of two of my former teammates. Awdry Toby and Kotowari Takeshi."

"Ah! So you're _that_ Yuki-san!? Those two always talk about you like crazy! It's very nice to meet you!" Hoshi gave a deep bow while something popped into her head. "Wait... You said former... Does that mean..."

"The Tsukiko Squad is disbanded. I no longer have a squad, and thereby default, neither do they. You are free to ask them if they wish to make a squad with you," Yuki said, smile becoming less forced. "Before you ask why I did that... Well, let's just say that I thought it was time that they learn to fly by themselves."

"Fly by...-"

"Looks like I'm the last one here. Man, so much for a nice welcoming."

The four turned their heads to see Akasora walking up to them we three boys behind him. Hoshi didn't recognize either of the boys, but was wondering why her teacher was there.

"Sensei, have you been out because you were here the whole time?"

"Yeah. Actually... I'm no longer teaching there. I've gotta look over the new branch now, so I won't be having the time to teach any more." He scratched the back of his head as he let out a sigh. "It really sucks, ya know. I really loved that job, but I actually owe Masafumi quite a bit, so this is the least I can do for him."

"Masafumi?"

"...Director Shinoda..."

All attention went to the boy right behind Akasora. He was a shy looking boy with his hair passing his eyes and his head facing the ground. He tried his best to hide behind Akasora as much as he could.

"Yeah. Shinoda..." Clapping his hands, Akasora got all of their attention as he continued. "Anyways! Why don't we get introductions out of the way then all head over to the new- Ah. I mean to the Yagura Branch office? You all know me and Yuki, so the rest of you, introduce yourselves."

"..."

"H-hello! I am Taiyōko Hoshi. It is nice to meet you three," Hoshi said with a bow.

"Name's Taiyōko Kushikage. Let's get along, 'kay?"

"Taiyōko Mukuro."

"So you three are siblings? Cool! We're pretty much like brothers, so that's really awesome! Name's Kirigiri Kazekiri!" one of the three said excitedly.

"Hello. I am Mori Kirisame. Nice to meet you," the one with blue hair said with a small bow.

"...Tenryū Shokubutsu..."

"Shobu here is actually my nephew. So be nice," Akasora said as he patted the boy's head. "Now why don't we get going?"

'So these are the Yagura Branch members...At least I know some of them...'

* * *

QOTC: Would you have preferred to see Mukuro fight this chapter? (三U三)

* * *

 **And there ya go! I hope you enjoyed! If you didn't then that just means I didn't do a good enough job!**

 **So sorry 'bout tricking you into thinking you would get a fight, but I just felt like giving Hoshi at least _one_ chapter. I _was_ planning on making it a fight chapter, but it go changed at the last minute.**

 **If it makes you feel any better, the next one is really the last on this mini arc, but it revolves around the currently disbanded squad. After that we get to the Rank Wars. So you can all look forward to that!**

 **That is all. Until next time, see ya!**


	20. Squad: Part

**And here is number 20! The last (hopefully) chapter of the mini arc! Let's get started!**

 **Disclaimer:** Don't own World Trigger. Minubuki is owned by Zazaza gogo da. Minoru is owned by yujonokage.

* * *

 **Chapter 20:** _ Squad: Part _

* * *

"Honestly... I haven't listened to this song in a while now..."

Suzume let out a sigh as she looked at her phone's screen and saw the current song she was listening to. It had been a few days since the squad's disbandment and everyone around could tell that the three B-Ranks were taking it pretty hard.

In Suzume's case, she wasn't as joyful or eager as usual. She always seemed to be listening to music and ignoring others around her. Some of her fellow Snipers noticed her aim was getting off every time she fired a shot.

Not only that, but even when some of her friends purposely caused a 'shippable scene' she didn't even react to it and simply passed by like it was nothing. This had lots of people worried - Satori especially.

'I guess I'm at an impasse here...'

"Alright! What do you guys and gals wanna hear next~~!?"

Hearing the voice yell that out while the song changed, Suzume turned her head. What she saw a crowd of people around a single girl holding a guitar started playing some random thing.

She found the girl's appearance odd with black hair with blue and pink highlights along with gray eyes. She was in her real body which consisted of a school uniform and ripped, black thigh highs, which Suzume found a little odd.

"Alright! Pick an artist!"

"Nano!"

"Now then, would anyone like to come up and rock out with the great Minubuki-sama!?"

Suzume saw lots of people yelling, saying they wanted to go and 'rock out' with the girl who continued to play a random song.

Letting out another sigh, she stood up and made her way through the crowd before reaching the stage and glaring at the girl.

"Hey. This is no place to hold a concert. If you're honestly going to be playing that guitar, then I suggest you get out of here or go to some private room," Suzume said as she put her phone away.

"But then these lovely people won't be able to hear my rockin' music!"

"Yeah, Misaki!"

"You were cool a while ago!"

"Yeah, yeah! You would be the one rockin' out!"

"What the heck changed!?"

"Shut the hell up! That's none of your business!" Suzume glared at each person while the memory of her ex-captain disbanding the squad came back to her mind.

She felt extremely hurt by the whole thing. He had been the one with the Rhythm that she loved so much and he had just crushed the whole squad's worlds by saying they were disbanding.

"We have jobs to do here. This isn't a place to deal with you angst, Misaki."

Everyone turned to the new voice that turned out to be Narasaka. He had his arms crossed and gave a dull look at Suzume. He may not have liked her, or her way of fighting, but he still respected her as an actual Sniper. Seeing her like this irritated him since he had gotten use to her energetic attitude and their usual bickering - even if he wouldn't admit it.

"Shut up, Narasaka. I already know that. If anything, you should be helping me get this girl put of her," Suzume said, glaring at the fellow Sniper.

"Hey, would wouldn't happen to be Misaki Suzumebachi, would you?" The girl walked up to Suzume and gave a big grin. "I've heard you rock out like crazy and even have a Side Effect that's perfect for musicians! Is that true?"

"Wha-"

"Alright! I've definetly gotta rock out with you! Come on! I'll even let you pick the song!"

"There's no way-"

"Misaki, I will overlook it this once... Just get all this idiotic depression out of your system, would you?"

"Alright! Who wants to hear two rockin' girls show you all how it's done!?"

The crowd went wild as Minubuki started playing her guitar again.

Suzume just watched as the other girl started to sing. Once a certain part was reach, she couldn't help but to sing along with the girl.

"Koukai wa shinai yo~~ Tsumiageta chigireteta miraizu wo nagame~~ Iki wo tomete~~ Sabitsuita kioku no hari~~ Atama n naka~~ Guruguru~~ Mawaru yo~~"

The two continued to sing while the people there continued to cheer them on. They both seemed to be enjoying themselves as their voices rang out throughout the whole area. The song they sung seemed to go along well with the fights that were being displayed on the screen above them.

Once the song ended, the two took their bows and the crowd dispersed.

The two girls just sat around with Minubuki tuning her guitar and Suzume simply sitting there, not exactly sure what had just happened.

"That was definitely awesome. We really gotta do something like that," Minubuki said happily. "By the way, I'm _aloud_ to put these little concerts on. Director Shinoda has given me permission. I have a limit, but the fact I'm able to put them on at all is great."

"Huh? Is that so? I'm sorry then."

"No problem. Letting me hear that awesome voice was enough of an apology. Oh yeah! I never properly introduced myself! I'm Shashin Minubuki! Nice to meetcha! Third in command of Shor Squad!"

Suzume got a smile on her face that mirrored her new friend's. She took the other's outstretched hand and gave it a nice shake.

"Now then... Tell this fellow rocker what's wrong."

* * *

"Wow! That's his tenth win in a row!"

"I've never seen Awdry so brutal though."

"Seriously. Going right for the head or heart and using sneaky tactics like that."

"That really doesn't seem like his style."

Toby clicked his tongue as he glared at the three C-Ranks whispering to themselves. It had been a few days since the squad's disbandment and everyone around could tell that the three B-Ranks were taking it pretty hard.

In Toby case, he had become more violent and started picking random fights. He didn't have a smile on his face anymore and had been glaring at almost anyone who passed by him. His fighting style had become more dirty and most started to stay away from fighting him. Even Midorikawa was keeping his distance. The thing that really made people worry was that he wasn't wearing his hat anymore.

His friends had tried to joke around with him to try and get the smile back on his face and even bough him tons of chocolate, but none of that had much of an effect on him. He simply glared at all of them - Kitora included.

"Hey now, no need to be so grouchy."

"Hey, maybe he can be a better fighter when he's a grouch."

"Don't say that, Haru-chan."

Toby stopped walking when he saw Minoru and Inukai walking up to him - Taka in Inukai's arms. He just turned his head and tried to ignore them as he continued his walk. While he was friends with the two - and loved playing with the puppy - he wasn't anywhere near in the mood to talk to them.

"Are you still mad about the disbandment?"

Toby quickly turned around and glared at the older one with all his might since he felt extremely hurt by the whole thing. Yuki had been the one to help out when Toby first came to Mikado City as a runaway and the older one had just crushed the whole squad's worlds by saying they were disbanding.

"And so what if I am? It's none of your business!"

"But if you don't get over it and form a squad again then you can't fight us in the Rank Wars."

Inukai's words would have sounded like he only cared about the fight to anyone else, but the other two knew that he was basically saying "nothing's going to change, so just move on." Either that or "You're gonna get you ass kicked if you don't straighten out now."

"Tsk. Even so, we wouldn't know who to put as leader. We'd probably be fighting over the spot," Toby said as he crossed his arms.

"Couldn't you just have Meimei captain?"

"But an Operator as Captain? Doesn't that seem odd?"

"I've already though if something for that."

The three turned to see Takeshi walking up to them, hand in pockets and scarf nowhere to be seen.

"And what's that suppose to mean?"

"It means exactly as it sounds. I've already come up with something for this current issue," Takeshi said with a completely monotone voice. "I've already discussed it with Mei-san and she has agreed to it."

"And what's this oh so great plan exactly?" Toby asked, glaring at his former teammate.

"Simple. Officially, I will be leading the squad, but Mei-san will be the actual leader." He didn't seem the least bit unnerved from the harsh glaring her was receiving. "She had told me that Tsukiko and Akasora had already made an agreement so that our positions will stay the same when the Rank Wars begin. We will just be entering under a different name."

"Whoa. Guess Kotowari's taking it pretty hard too," Inukai whispered to his friend. "Sounding so formal and no honorific."

"Why would I need to add an honorific to a person who abandons his squad without any warning."

The three were now unnerved by how calm Takeshi appeared to be and how ruthless he sounded. He wasn't much for emotions already, but this was on a different level altogether.

"Well... Then I guess we might have to wait for that fight then..."

"Yeah..."

"What are you doing just standing there?" Mei asked, walking onto the scene with Suzume. "We have work to do. If you want to catch up to him then now's your chance."

"Hm. I don't care whether or not we catch up," Takeshi said, monotone still there.

"Regardless. Whether it's to catch up to him, to show him he was wrong, just so you could kick his ass, or just because you want to, we still need to get going so you have enough time to train," Mei answered back, just as monotone and cold as Takeshi.

"This won't end well..."

* * *

'What's with this uneasy feeling...?'

"Are you okay, Senpai?"

Yuki looked up from the book in his hand to see Hoshi with a slightly worried expression.

"Yes. I am fine. Why do you ask, Hoshi-chan?"

"Oh... You just seemed to be a little down..." She fidgeted nervously as she looked at the ground. "Um... Senpai... If you don't mind me asking... Is it true that you disbanded your squad?"

"Yes."

Hoshi's head shot up and the calmly quick answer she received. She had heard about it and even asked Toby and Takeshi, but she wasn't one to believe rumors and the two boys simply ignored her.

"If you don't kind another question... Why did you disband?"

"Because I couldn't baby them anymore."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean that if I _didn't_ disband the squad, then they wouldn't be able to actually grow much stronger." He let out a sigh and put the book down. "You see, those three were too focused on me, and not themselves, so they probably wouldn't be able to reach A-Rank like they want if I continued to be on their team."

"But... Awdry-kun and Kotowari-kun-"

"Hoshi-chan, please don't feel sorry for them." He saw her look of shock and simply continued on. "If they're so distraught about me leaving the squad, then that clearly means they were overly attached to me. It may even mean they should strop being agents if this continues on. I mean, it's not like I've moved to a different country, or died. We can still hang out and all, but they are seeing the situation way worse than what it actually is."

"O-oh... I guess you're right..."

"Just give them some time. I'm sure they'll be fine."

"You're probably right..."

"Now of you don't mind, may I ask _you_ a question?"

"Huh? Oh! Sure!"

"Are you planning on being in the Rank Wars?"

* * *

QOTC: What do you think of the ocs?

QOTC 2: Was the disbandment really a shock? (I'm just curious)

* * *

 **And there you have it.**

 **This one was an ugly short one and most definitely not my favorite chapter, but I just wanted to get it out of the way. The next one we** ** _finally_** **get to the B-Rank Wars!** ** _FINALLY_** **!**

 **I've got nothing else, so until next time, BYE!**


	21. Kotowari Squad

**And welcome back! We finally get back to the longer stuff! Hope you all enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own World Trigger

* * *

 **Chapter 21:** Kotowari Squad

* * *

"So we're gonna finally start, huh? Who are our first opponents?"

"You might not like the sound of this."

"Just tell us."

"Ninomiya Squad and Hikigane Squad."

"Seriously!? Right from the start!?"

The newly formed Kotowari Squad was sitting in their lounge while they discussed what their plans would he for the Rank Wars starting the next day. They had been training, but got nowhere. They would argue about one thing or another and this started to get on Mei's nerves.

"We're the lowest ranked team between the three of us. Since we to pick which area we're in, I say we choose the forest area," Toby said as he finished up his chocolate bar.

"With Ninomiya-san's Hound? No way. Honestly, I think we should go with one that had large hills. That way I can get them from the top with Take just bombarding them next to me," Suzume said as she looked at their choices.

"You're both wrong. We are going with this one. It has lots of obstacles that can be used to block Ninomiya-san's attacks," Takeshi said in a dull tone. "If we doing things correctly, I can deal with Hikigane-san and his Side Effect while the two of you can take out Ninomiya-san. That being said, we will deal with those two last. Suzume-senpai, you will need to take out Inukai-senpai and Girikage-senpai. Toby, you'll be in charge of holding back Tsuji while I deal with Kirikari-senpai."

Mei just sat at her computer while she listened to the three discuss their strategy. While she did agree to be the brains of the squad, she knew she really wouldn't be able to put much in with how things were at the moment. She knew that even if they talked about their plans for the whole day, it wouldn't go as planned if they still thought about what Yuki had done.

Besides that, she herself couldn't confuse much since she had been receiving 'presents' from Kushikage most of the time. These 'presents' were things that made her remember things she didn't want to, so they didn't help with the situation. She had gone to Yuki and Akasora about it, but they both seemed extra tired and couldn't do much for her.

 **SLAM!**

Getting out of her thoughts, Mei saw that Toby was now missing from the group and Suzume seemed pretty pissed off and ready to leave. She could only guess what went down while in her thoughts and simply let out a sigh.

'This is a really irritating time...'

* * *

"Tsk! (Screw him! He's not even listening to us! Wasn't Mei suppose to be making these kinds of choices! That jerk just thinks that since Yuki would give him some authority that...)" Toby trailed off as his mind went back to when the squad disbanded. He fixed the messenger hat on his head.

The day before was when he decided to put a hat back on his head. Instead of putting on the gift from his ex-captain, he decided to put a messenger hat on and bury the gift hat somewhere in his room. He had made a promise that he would 'kick Yuki's ass and put the hat back on when he apologizes for leaving.'

He knew he may be acting childish about this all, but he didn't seem to care. He felt completely betrayed by someone he considered something akin to an older brother.

"Are you still moping around? Shouldn't you be over this by now?" Kitora said, coming up to Toby. She crossed her arms and gave him a disappointed look. "Tsukiko-senpai isn't dead, or even in a different city. He is still in Mikado City, is still an A-Rank and is still your friend. Stop acting like a child already."

"I know that already. I don't need you repeating that to me, thank you very much," Toby answered back with a glare. "But you don't seem to understand how it feels to be betrayed like-"

"I _don't_ understand, but that's because I can easily get over stuff like this. As long as a person like that isn't dead, then I wouldn't understand." Kitora crossed her arms as her stare became more harsh, yet it held a small amount of worry for him. "As long as I know they're alive, I won't think I've been betrayed, unless they actually betray me."

"Well he _did_ betray me! He betrayed the whole squad! He-"

"How did he betray you?"

"He just left us! He didn't give any sign or warning! (He just left us!)"

"Stop sounding like a spoiled brat! He has his reason for leaving, I'm sure! You, Kotowari and Misaki-senpai are just being brats! He's not gonna always be there for you, so grow up and deal with it!"

"(Who the fuck are you calling a spoiled brat!)"

"She is correct. You seem to be as much of a brat as before."

The two turned to where the voice was coming from to see three men wearing suits walking up to them. The one in the middle had brown hair and slightly tanned skin. He had a serious expression on his face as he looked down at Toby with mild disgust.

"So this is where you have been. We knew you came to Japan, but didn't image you would be working here," the man said as he turned his gaze to Kitora. "That emblem... I see. You are Ai Kitora, correct?"

"That is correct. May I help you?" Kitora asked, unsure who this person was and why his presence alone seemed to piss Toby off.

"You are from the Arashiyama Squad, the squad who is the face of Border. I am here to speak with your higher-ups. Would you mind showing me to them?"

"No, sir, I would not mind. But, if I may ask, who are you?"

"I am-"

"He is a shitty old man that should try and find his own damn way around."

Kitora was shocked at hearing Toby say this. She knew he could be rash and impulsive, but she also knew he could be well behaved when speaking to important people, like this guy seemed to be. She was about to berate him for this, but was shocked yet again when the man simply slapped Toby across the face, leaving a red mark on the boy's face.

"It seems you still don't know how to speak to those above you. I suppose letting you run away wasn't any help with your attitude."

Although she wanted to check and see if her friend was alright, Kitora could see they were gaining unwanted attention and tried to figure out how to defuse the situation quickly.

"I'm sorry, but what is going on here?"

The group turned to the new voice to see the leader of Kitora's squad, the face of Border and one of the A-Rank squad leaders, Arashiyama Jun. He looked at the scene before him with a calm expression and had a few quesses that were quite accurate.

"Kitora, go take Awdry to get that check up while I show this man to the meeting room."

"Right. Come on-"

"Don't touch me. I can walk on my own." Toby gave a final glare at the man with all his might. "A slap like this is nothing compared to before."

"Toby-"

"I believe you asked who I was, Miss Kitora." Straightening his tie, the man looked down at the two with cold eyes. "I am the owner of Electric World Industry-"

"And my shitty dad..."

"Henry Awdry."

* * *

"Honestly... We're never going to be able to take on the #1 and #3 B-Rank squads like this... Even with Minu-chan and Narasaka's help, I can't keep my mind focused enough for a perfect snipe. Speaking of which... Why _did_ Narasaka help me out...?"

"Hey, hey, hey, this doesn't look like tha Suzu-chan who seemed to cheer up after rocking out! Where's the smiling girl?" Satori said as her quickly made his way to the girl.

"I'm fine, Ken-kun. Well, maybe not at 100% yet, but honestly I think I'm doing better than Take or Toby. Those two have been at each other's throats for a while now," Suzume said with a downcasted look. "I was just thinking that we really aren't a team anymore. Yuki-san was what held us together before and even Mei-san can't seem to get those two to stop arguing once they start."

"That sucks. Maybe you should dis-"

"Don't say that! We've already had to deal with that once! Honestly! You're no help!"

"Hey now, let me finish." Satori up his arms up for defense. "I was going to say that if you three continue to act like this, then there's no point in trying to force yourselves to stay as a team. It won't work out if the three of you can't completely see eye-to-eye."

"Hm. You honestly sound like Narasaka when you say that. He told me that I might as well quite being an agent if I'm going to continue to be down about the whole thing."

"See? He knows. And all apparently you're the only one who's actually trying to get over it. You seem to be doing well to. I'm glad."

"Hm... Thank you, Ken. Honestly."

Satori gave a grin as his friend smiled back. He was glad to see her getting better. He had heard from Kitora what Toby was currently like, and he could just guess what Takeshi was like during all of this, so he didn't want Suzume to be like either one if them.

What he didn't expect was for her to walk up to him and give him a small kiss on the cheek. His cheeks went a little red as he turned to see her giving him a more joyful smile and a peace sign.

"That was a thank you for helping me out. The second thank are some lessons to help you get a date whenever you want, 'kay~~ I will honestly turn you into the ultimate lady's man."

"Oh my. Are we interrupting something?"

The two turned to see a grown woman looking at them with a hand covering her mouth and a girl who seemed to be three years younger than them in a dress. They both had brown hair and some shade of green for their eyes. While the woman's hair was long, the girl's hair was cut short.

"Mom? Mitsu-chan? What are you two doing here?"

"H-huh? That's your _mom?_ Not your _sister_?" Satori looked from Suzume to the two ladies in front of them. " _Honestly?_ "

"Oh stop. You're making me blush," the older woman said as she out a hand on her cheek.

"Hey, hey, Nee-chan, is this guy your boyfriend?" the girl said, pointing to Satori.

"B-boyfriend!? No! He's just a friend and fellow Sniper! Honestly! Why'd you have to bring her, Mom?" Suzume said, looking at her mother with crossed arms.

"I'm actually a little curious about this boy as well."

"Hello, Misaki-san. I am Satori Ken, Sniper of the Arashiyama Squad," Satori said with a bow.

"Oh my. So polite as well. So this is one of the boys you talk about, Suzu-chan. He seems like a great catch."

"Mom~~~!"

"I'm kidding." The older woman turned back to Satori and gave her own small bow. "Hello. I am Misaki Seihana. I was just playing around. I easily recognized you from the television. I want to thank you for all your hard work. And also, for taking care of my daughter."

"Ha ha ha... It's nothing. We're classmates and fellow Snipers, so of course I would take care of her." Satori scratched the back of his head sheepishly as Seihana let out a giggle.

"Then I will be counting on you, Satori-kun."

"Hey, hey, what about me?" The attention shifted to the girl. "I'm Misaki Mitsubachi! I'm Nee-chan's little sister!"

"Nice to meet you too," Satori said with a grin.

"Oh yeah. Suzu-chan, I met the other boy you always talk about. Narasaka-kun, I believe his name was. He seemed quite nice as well," Seihana said with a smile.

None of the girls noticed that Statori has tensed up when he heard the older woman say the fellow Sniper's name. He had been getting a little irritated whenever Suzume had started ranting about Sniper from Miwa Squad or when he would see them 'arguing' around. He didn't really know why since this had always been a thing between the two, but he did know that he always wanted to change the subject or separate the two.

"Honestly, what are you two even doing here?"

"Oh. We wanted to take a look around so we won't get lost."

"Why would you come back?"

"To watch you and your squad in that tournament you've mentioned, of course."

"Hey, hey, you didn't expect us to _not_ watch it, did you!? I wanna see your super duper awesome sniping skills!" Mitsu said while slightly jumping.

"She really is awesome while sniping, but you should see her when she has her Hidden Stinger out. That's when she's super duper ultra mega awesome cool," Satori said with a grin.

"Oh my..." Seihana gave another little giggle as she whispered to her oldest daughter. "So is this the boy you pick?"

"Wh-wh-what are you saying!? Honestly! I've told you already that he's just a friend! You're so embarrassing, Mom!" Suzume covered her face to hide the blush that quickly spread to her cheeks.

"Satori-kun, may I give you some advice?"

"Advice? For what?"

"To win my daughter's heart of course." The oldest woman couldn't help the next giggle come out as the two Snipers went completely red. "You see she just _loves_ clichés. From a boy singing to her all the way down to an accident that puts her face a few inches away from the boy's."

"MOM! Honestly! Shut up now!"

As Satori heard this, he remembered what had happened a few days back and how Suzume didn't seem affected by what happened with Narasaka and even kissing both him and Satori himself didn't seem to faze her.

"Don't lie to him like that!"

"But I'm not lying. You went on and on when White Day was over about how that Narasaka-kun was able to pull off a great cliché."

"Hey, hey, she's right! You even said that you had to try super hard not to blush right in front of him!"

"Not to mention when you said you were ready to just kiss him on the ground."

By this point, Satori was starting to lose his grin. The more he heard about how Suzume felt at that moment, the more he felt like marching up to Narasaka and demanding he apologize to Suzume for doing that.

After yelling at them some more, Suzume had been able to send her family off to go find the area they were looking for. She crossed her arms and puffed out her red cheeks. She always forgot that her sister and mother were as much into shipping others as her.

"Honestly... Don't listen to them, Ken-kun. They just like embarrassing me."

"Hahaha. It's fine. Besides, now I've met your family."

"Yeah... _Great_."

* * *

"If we take out Tsuji-senpai out first... But if they get on Ninomiya-san's line of fire..."

"Takeshi, are you going to take a break any time soon?" Mei asked as she slurped down some ramen. She had been watching him go over different strategies for the past hour or so and found hole in all of them. "Thinking this much isn't good for you. Breaks are important too."

"I realize that, but in order to make sure we can make it to the top, I need to come up with the perfect strategy. As I'm sure you know, that is quite hard when we are going against someone like Ninomiya-san."

"That's true, but tiring yourself out like this is useless if you can't think properly later. And _you know_ that thinking in the middle of battle is important when fighting against Ninomiya." She didn't get an answer, so she continued. "As well as that, you should know that every plan has some hole in it, meaning that you will have to improvise on the battlefield, which brings us back to the main reason."

"Very well. I will take a break...in a few minutes."

"..."

"..."

"Takeshi... Is the reason you're going so far to make him 'see his error' because he reminds you of _them_?" Mei didn't want to bring it up, especially since she already knew the answer, but she had to bring it out of him. "That is all pointless. Yuki isn't like them."

"You are right again... **He is worse than them**." Takeshi stopped moving his hand and simply stared at the table with harshly clenched fists. "They simply didn't connect with me, so I didn't care about them...even when they died in such a way...even when they were screaming... I didn't care. Him on the other hand... He forced a connection on me and then he just shreds it to pieces...as if _he_ didn't care..."

"He did... _does_ care. He wants you all to get stro-"

" **Then why did he leave us?** "

Mei let out a sigh when she heard this. She had explained this to him multiple times, but at times he was more headstrong than their Attacker and didn't listen at all. Even if she changed the way she phrased it, even if she made him remember everything up until now, he still didn't listen. That left her with one option left.

"Takeshi..."

"What now?"

"I want to tell you a story." Mei put her empty cup down and went to sit across from the Shooter. "It's a pretty king story, so no interruptions, got it?"

"Mei-san, I have to-"

" **Got it**?"

"... Got it."

"Good. Now listen well. I'm gonna tell you the story of the beast disgusted as a prince with claws sharp enough to tear a body in half with ease and the weapon that is used by the princess to rule with the authority she deserves."

* * *

"So are you three ready?"

It was finally time for Kotowari Squad's first match and the whole squad was waiting to start. They were in their uniform, the some one as before, but without an emblem.

Suzume let out a small sigh. She remembered what had happened earlier that day, but quickly cheered herself up.

 _"So are you gonna watch us go at it?" Suzume asked, looking at Satori as they both stood in the Sniper training grounds._

 _"I'm so, so, so sorry, Suzu-chan! I really want to, but I'm actually commenting on Tamakoma's battle," Satori said with his hands together._

 _"I see... Alright. I suppose you can't really turn them down." Suzume looked up with a smile that seemed a little strained. "Have fun then."_

 _"I promise that when the fight is done, I'll go straight to yours!"_

 _"No, no. It's fine. Besides, do you honestly think the other squads will last that long against us?" Suzume said with a hair flip. "We'll be done before you even leave the room."_

 _"I will hold you to that," Narasaka said, walking up to them. "I will be watching your match."_

 _"_ You _will be watching? Why? So you could find something to make fun of me with?"_

 _"You're mother and sister asked than Shouhei and I watch it with them. They said that since we are your friends that it would be great for the four of us to watch." Narasaka crossed his arms as he continued. "I don't know where they got the idea that we were friends, but I agreed anyways."_

 _"I see..."_

'I guess I should try extra hard then.'

Meanwhile, Toby seemed completely zoned out. He had his own problem to deal with from earlier that day.

 _"What the hell do you want?"_

 _"I am telling you know that you better lose this match," Henry said with a cold expression. "Your brother said he wants to see you fight. While I don't care much for such things, I_ do _wish to see how you are doing here."_

 _"Tsk. Yeah right. What are planning?"_

 _"I want to show your brother that being an agents at Border isn't all there is. He seems to think that it is 'cool and heroic' to be an agent. I want to destroy that illusion for him."_

 _"What the hell is wrong with you!? Why are you trying to mess him up too!?"_

 _"Do not speak to me like that. I have decided to sponsor Border since I do appreciate what they do, but I do not want the heir to both companies to go off and runaway like his failure older brother."_

 _"Bastard..."_

'Ai said she's also going to watch this fight, but...even with Takeshi coming up with the plan...I don't think I won't Bail Out...'

Mei looked over the three and let out a sigh. She could see Suzume trying to cheer herself up, Toby seeming to be distraught and Takeshi as calm as ever. After the story she had told him, Takeshi seemed to have calm down and took her advice to get some sleep.

"Alright you three. There's something I want to tell you," Mei said as she clapped her hands. Once she got all three of their attentions, she continued on. "You may not want to hear this since it was something Yuki told me, but I want you three to remember these words throughout all your fights from now on."

She went back to when she first heard these words and could see the exact face looking away from her and the exact hand outstretched to her at that moment. She couldn't help but inwardly smile at the fond memory.

"Always repeat the words in your head... 'If you can't do something by yourself, then I'll help you. If I can't do something by myself, then you'll help me. That's what working together means. Helping each other out is the advantage of working together.' You three got that? Always remember those words."

"Roger!"

* * *

"So you really were here. Did you want to see your little brats play around?"

"..."

"I know you hate Masa-chan, and I doubt you're rooting for the squad you left behind, so you must be here for Hikigane Squad. Am I right?"

"..."

"No need to-"

"Shut up. I'm hear to see how all of this goes down. Now either keep quite and watch, or get out."

"Alright, alright. I'll keep quiet...for now."

* * *

QOTC: What's your favorite rank battle so far?

* * *

 **Finally! We're finally on the fights! We're finally back to 4000+ words! I don't have anything else to say, so until next time... See ya!**


	22. Toby Awdry: Part 2

**Okay, so it has come to my attention that the timeline here is...wonky. I honestly didn't notice myself until it was pointed out, so thank you Yujo. Anyways! You can think of it like this, the things that go down in Those Days _do happen_ , but in Sick Snow they are placed in regular days, no special days. I even went back to fix the mention of White Day in the last chapter. That is all.**

 **Note:** [ ] mean that the commentary is being made

 **Note 2:** These fight chapters may be choppy since I'll be switching from the field to the commentary

 **Diclaimer:** I don't own World Trigger and Hikigane Squad is owned by Lvl7Loser and Minoru is owned by yujonokage.

* * *

 **Chapter 22:** Toby Awdry: Part 2

* * *

[B-Rank Battles Round 1! I have the role of commentator today, Arashiyama Squad's Ayatsuji! The color commentators are Katagiri Squad leader Katagiri and Kazama Squad's Utagawa!]

[Glad to be here.]

[It's a pleasure to be here.]

[Since it's the first day, would you mind explaining how these battles work, Utagawa-kun?]

[Sure thing. B-Rank is separated into three groups, the Top, the Middle, and the Bottom. With 25 squads this time around the three groups are split with seven at the top and nine in both middle and bottom. Then commences the 2 vs 1 and 2 vs 2 battles, in which participants fight to win points. The ways to win points are to simply kill someone from the opposing squad for one point.]

[Earning points will increase your squad's ranking. The goal is to reach the first position. Those in the first and second positions will have the privileges to battle against those in A-Rank.]

[Thank you, you two. Also, the teams who are placed in positions from last season will already be awarded bonus points according to their positions. Meaning they will have an advantage over other teams.]

"Hey, hey, look where Nee-chan's squad is! Isn't that right?"

"Hehehe. Yes, it is. It looks like their in the Top group." Seihana turned to the two boys who we're sitting next to her with a smile. "You two know my daughter more when it comes to fighting, would you mind telling me about how well she does?"

"We wouldn't mind at all," Kodera said a little nervously. "She is usually near the top during practice, when she tries that is."

"Her way of fighting depends on what situations she's put in," added Narasaka with a stoic expression. "She's officially a Sniper, but she can double as an Attacker."

"I see."

* * *

"Wow~~ Big bro is pretty high on the list~!"

"Hm. I suppose that means he has _some_ talent. He always has been a rowdy child. No wonder he would enjoy such things." Henry stared at the screen with an almost bored look while his youngest child excitedly watched on. "I assume he used his comrades to get that rank though."

"If you're talking about Fuzzy head, then you're wrong," Minoru said, walking up to the two.

"And who may you be?"

"I'm Hatohara Minoru. A-Rank and friend to your son." The All-Rounder turned to the screen as he leaned on the railing. "I guess you're here to see how well your son does."

"Hm. I suppose you could say that. And you?"

"Oh, well I'm actually friends with your son's squad as well as really close to one of the squads they're going against."

[Before the fighters are teleported in, I would like to ask for you opinions on how you think this will go down.]

[Well, that's difficult to say. While both Ninomiya Squad and Hikigane Squad are always at the top, and have the strength to show why, Kotowari Squad is no pushover. They have a Sniper who can easily adapt to her situation, a Shooter who can continuously fire non-stop and an Attacker who's hard to catch unless surrounded by opponents.]

[That may be true, but since their initial disbandment as Tsukiko Squad they have lost their ace and captain. As any agents could tell you, the past few days haven't been their best ones as a team.]

[Do you think they'll be able to get passed that to get some points?]

[I'm not too sure...]

[And your thoughts on the matter, Utagawa-kun?]

[While I do agree with all of that, I believe they'll be able to pull this off well enough.]

[Oh! It seems they have been teleported in already! The area choice went to Kotowari Sauad for having the lowest rank and it seems they have gone with City E and high winds for the weather!]

[That area is a construction area with dangers from supports giving out and incomplete the buildings having the possibility of falling.]

[They were most likely trying to find ways to block Ninomiya's shots while keeping Hikigane at bay and far enough to where his Side Effect won't do anything.]

* * *

'How the hell did I get unlucky enough to land on a damn beam with this wind!?'

Toby let out an irritated sigh as he jumped and weaves through the beams to reach the ground safely. He the wind helped to stop Hikigane Squad from being in the air, but it also stopping Suzume from getting a good shot right away, along with making Toby have to fight against it if her was on the wrong end.

Then there were all the buildings and dangers to the area. He didn't have much defense against a building if it suddenly started to fall on him and again this posed a problem for Suzume's shots. It all seemed to only benefit Takeshi in the long run.

'No one but Suzume seems to be using Bagworm, so let's see who my first opponent is.'

 _"I am telling you to lose this match."_

'Tsk! Like hell! Screw that bastard! He and that damn woman... I won't listen to either!'

 _"Toby, keep your focus on this. Someone is coming up fast... Wait, make that two people... No... Three. Get ready for a melee."_

"Gotcha! Suzume, you find where I'm at yet?"

 _"Yeah! I'm keeping a good eye out! Just make sure to dodge my shots if they end up missing!"_

"No need to tell me what I already kn- Hedgehog!"

Toby stopped in his tracks and curled the upper part of his body up as blades came out of his back. The blades seemed to have clashed with another blade, keeping it on place.

 **BANG!**

He could feel the pressure from the blade leave his back as a shot went passed him.

 _"Watch out behind you! It's Inukai!"_

Quickly looking up, Toby was teleported into the air as shots from a gun went by to be blocked by the first attacker.

Landing on a buildings, Toby saw who the two were and saw that Inukai and Girikage were both ready for a fight with one having his gun at the ready and the other holding his Kōgetsu in a reverse grip.

'Wait... Mei said there were three...'

 _"Behind you!"_

Reacting just in time, Toby brought up a small Shield, that easily got destroyed, before parrying a hit from Tsuji. He shot a blade out from his other hand before jumping away.

* * *

[And there's the first confrontation! It seems that Inukai-tai, Tsuji-tai and Girikage-tai are all going after Awdry-tai instead of facing each other!]

[That's understandable. While Awdry _is_ skilled at close combat, and can dodge shots from Shooters and Gunners because of his Side Effect, against three highly skilled agents, it will be difficult for him to land a good hit and defend at the same time.]

[And because of the high winds, Misaki won't be able to help out as much as usual.]

[It seems the area and conditions are working _against_ Kotowari Squad, doesn't it?]

[Not all of them...]

"How do you suppose my... _son_ will be bake to get out if this?" Henry continued to look at the screen with an indifferent look.

"He has Suzu-chan as backup, and we have our own solo matches every now and then, so I know how strong he is. It'll be tough, but he can get out of this," Minoru answered, not liking the fact he could hear a faint smugness in the older man's tone.

"I see. So be bothers other agents to fight with him..."

"He doesn't bother anyone. We all enjoying having matches with him." Minoru was starting to get a little mad hearing the man talk about his own child that way. 'Does he even care about his kids?'

"Come on, Big bro! You can beat them!"

Minoru glanced down at the youngest boy and got a small smile on his face when he saw how excited the kid was at seeing his brother.

"Calm down. No need to be excited over that...failure."

'It's official... This guy is a shitty person.'

* * *

'Let's see... From where the shot was fired and how the wind is going... Suzume should be a good distance away. I'm better at combos with Take, but I don't know where he is, so Suzume should be good enough.'

 _"Toby, Takeshi is fighting off against Ninomiya right now. See if you can lead these three over to that area so you three can pick them off."_

"Roger."

Toby jumped down from the beam he was on and went for Inukai. He brought out two blades to block the bullets headed for him and could see Tsuji headed for him from the corner of his eye.

Before he could reach his target, Tsuji brought up his blade to block the shots fired at him from Girikage. As he was busy with that, he saw a small flash headed for him and couldn't dodge in time, making him gain a hole in his arm.

Seeing his chance, Toby teleported in front of Inukai with his blade at the ready, but had to quickly to to defense as Girikage rushed at the two, taking one of Inukai's legs in the process.

Seeing a small slash off to the side, the three jumped away, allowing Tsuji to come up behind Toby and try to attack.

Seeing this already coming, Toby made a Scorpion come up on his back while he tried to fend off against the onslaught from Inukai and Girikage.

The firing stopping heading towards him as Girikage changed his target to Inukai, making the older one dodge the attacks and fire more shots.

'So I only have to deal with Shinno!'

Toby went wide eyed when just as he turned around his arm as cut clean off. He saw the person who did the deed fly passed him and Tsuji. He landed in the ground and glared at the new arrival.

'So he didn't go after Take... Crap.'

"Nice of you to join us, Captain."

The new arrival took in some air, making them all try and find some way of escape. He let out that breath in a sigh as he quickly turned around and took off Tsuji's head.

 **Triton limit exceeded. Bail Out.**

* * *

[And there it is! Hikigane-taicho's Side Effect at work!]

[It looks like Tsuji was the only one who couldn't escape in time.]

"Side Effect? What is that?" Henry asked, looking from the screen to Minoru.

"Basically speaking, it's a special trait a person has depending on how much Trion they have."

"I see. And this Hikigane person's Side Effect is-"

[For those who don't know, Hikigane's Side Effect slows a persons perceptions. He does this by making irregular patterns using sight and sound to make his opponent perceive things around them slower than how they actually are. This last for a while, but he usually finishes off his opponents fast enough.]

[The best way to get away from that is to not listen to the sigh, don't see him move and get away from him. I assume the other three are still feeling the effect of the Side Effect, hence why they got away from him.]

* * *

Toby had to make his way back through the beams of the unfinished building while blocking attacks to the best of his ability. He brought up a Shield to block the shots from Inukai as he ducked from a slash courtesy of Girikage.

The four jumped from one beam to another, but kept their guards up when they noticed more shots were being fired from different directions and that laser-like beams were being short from nearby.

"Jinsei, where are you? You should have caught up by now," Hikigane said as he broke one of Toby's blades.

 _"Sorry, sorry~~ I decided to go after a little insect first! Hope you don't mind~~"_

"Just make sure you get her in one go," the older one said with a sigh. "If you let her escape, even for a few second-"

 _"I know, I know. Just leave it to me and have your fun over there."_

Hikigane let out another sigh jumped down from one beam to a lower one in order to dodge some shots Inukai fired off.

'Damn! Suzume can't get good shots in while we're here!'

Toby jumped back far enough to where he was now falling from the unfinished building. He blocked some shots from Inukai and could see the other two let out their own Asteroids at him. Thinking quickly, he looked in Inukai's direction before teleporting behind the older male.

He brought out a blade on his foot and tried to get Inukai's head, but the Gunner used his gun to block the attack, sending him falling front the force of the kick.

"I already know that trick from Tsuki. Nice try though."

"Talking is useless when fighting!"

Inukai went a little wide eyed and used the sudden gust if wind that passed by to move well to enough. He was able to dodge the laser-like beam headed for him and could see Takeshi now. He grinned as he fired some shots at the Shooter, only for them to be blocked by Toby.

"You're open."

Girikage appeared behind Inukai with his blade ready, but...

"So are you."

He couldn't do much.

Just as he was going slice off the Gunner's head, he was shot through by multiple Hounds.

 **Trion limit exceeded. Bail Out.**

"Sorry about that~!"

"Don't think you're out of the clear yet."

Inukai used as much weight as he could to increase his fall as Toby and Hikigane passed each other, each cutting a body part off.

* * *

[It looks like things have been turned around! Now Awdry-tai has more support while both Hikigane Squad and Ninomiya Squad are down a member!]

[At this point, it might not mean much.]

[Huh? Would you mind explaining?]

[It's simple. While it is true that Kotowari Squad has all three members, none of them have managed to score a point yet. Not to mention Kirikari hasn't gotten involved yet.]

[But isn't that usually his style? 'Wait for the right moment and take them all out,' as he says.]

[Thats true, but he made multiple opportunities to come out and take one or two points.]

[I see.]

"This Kirikari person seems like a coward if that is how he does things," Henry said with a prejudice expression.

"Each person has their own style. Working on that style, reforming it and make it suit you best is what it takes to really get stronger," Minoru said with a small tired sigh. 'Although...you might not be able to understand it...'

"So does Big bro's style work against these people? He lost an arm, but he doesn't seem fazed by it at all," the kid said, looking up at Minoru.

'Wow... This kid looks like a kid version of Fuzzy head...' Getting a small smile on his face, Minoru answered. "He's not fazed since we can turn off the pain in our Trion bodies. As for his style... He's actually the worst one off here. He relies heavily on those makeshift blades, but they don't stand a chance against the more sturdy blade that's being used, or against people who can attack from all around."

"So he will lose because he is weak against his opponents and can't find a way around their attacks. Hm. Sounds about right."

"Laser-kun is with him there," Minoru said with a small sneer. "And he's been able to last this long with little backup."

"Even so, if he was good enough, he would have taken at least one person down by now."

'I'd like to see _you_ in there.'

* * *

"So what's the plan now?" Toby asked as he looked at all the opponents.

"..."

"Hm?"

"You try and get close to Ninomiya-san and Inukai-senpai. I'll use three to help you out and use two more to keep Hikigane-san at bay."

"Gotcha~~"

Putting the plan into action, Toby ran towards the two remaining Ninomiya Squad members with blades around his body. He saw them start to fire, but didn't do anything except smirk when those same shots were blocked by laser-like beams.

He was able to get close enough to them where they had to jump back to dodge the attack. He headed for Inukai when he saw the older one had been caught in the wind for a second, leaving him unguarded. He brought out a longer blade, but that was quickly destroyed by a Kōgetsu, making him go a little wide eyed.

Hikigane used this shock as a chance to launch some Hounds at Inukai while he slashed at Toby.

Both seeing the attacks coming, the two blocked with the same moves, leaving that part as a tie.

The three fell to the ground, but had no time for a short break as Inukai was a target for a laser-like beam while the other two were targets for regular shots. They each managed to dodge the attacks, but noticed a shadow coming over them.

They all looked up to see one of the buildings starting to fall on them. Each tried their best to make some sort of escape with Toby and Hikigane weaving through the unfinished buildings, Inukai, being the one in the safest position, jumping back a few feet, and the two Shooters letting loose some Meteora, destroy parts of the building.

"There has been less Sniper shots heading for us..." Hikigane noted to himself. "Guess Jinsei got to her."

 _"We have a problem, you two. Suzume is trying to get away from Kirikari, but he keeps catching up."_

"Urg... I suppose if we make a big enough distraction, the two of us could go help and get a point, but..."

"Very well. We will do that," Takeshi said as one of the orbs by his head went off elsewhere. "I'll keep one of them behind you back. Try and get Hikigane-san and Inukai-senpai close again so I can destroy one of the buildings..."

"Sure thing, bud."

Seeing his targets getting ready for another attack, Toby quickly teleported behind Inukai to try another cut to the head, but was stopped by a Shield. He saw Inukai's gun pointed to his head and lifted his head to teleport away.

This seemed like the wrong choice though as Hikigane was right in front of him, ready to cut the brunette in half. Toby smirked when he thought about what was behind his back, but...

 _"Takeshi, don't-!"_

"Asteroid."

 **SHOOOOOOMM!**

 **SASH!**

 **Trion limit exceeded. Bail Out.**

* * *

[I-! I can't believe it! Awdry-tai was taken out by what seemed to be a slash from Hikigane-taicho and a shot through the body from his own comrade, Kotowari-taicho!]

* * *

QOTC: Favorite Attacker?

* * *

Okay **, so I've got some things to say. First, sorry if this chapter was a little too short, but as I've said before, fights aren't my forte. Second, i will say that I lovingly-hate writing Henry. I hate it because I kinda just hate him, but I also like it because I get to write a character I hate.**

 **That's all. Until next time, bye!**


	23. Suzumebachi Misaki: Part 3

**And here is the next one for you all! I'm gonna say this now so listen (read)! There's an Oc Optional Trigger, so you don't go looking it up. Also, I'm gonna say sorry for the pointlessly short parts between line breaks and switching "agents" and "captains" with "-tai" and "-taicho." That's pretty much it. Hope you all enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own World Trigger and Hikigane Squad is owned by Lvl7Loser

* * *

 **Chapter 23:** Suzumebachi Misaki: Part 3

* * *

 _"Takeshi, don't-"_

 _"Asteroid."_

Suzume heard this while she continued to run and dodge attacks from Kirikari as they ran and jumped through the streets and finished and unfinished buildings. She had made been able to escape with no hit yet, but now she was worried about what she just heard was all about.

"Hey! What's going on?"

 _"(That damn bastard used me as a decoy! He shot right through me!)"_

 _"What he's saying is that Takeshi shot through him without his consent to try and get a hit on Hikigane."_

"What!?"

"Hey, hey, hey~~ Do you really think you should be distracted, Suzume-chan~?"

Feeling Kirikari even closer, Suzume turned around and fired a shot from her Lightning. Using the shot as a distraction, she glanced to the side before disappearing.

She appeared just behind a building and landed before taking off again. Using her Radar, she found where Kirikari was, along with the other four fighters.

'I have it equipped, but...Chameleon won't work on Kiri-senpai with his Side Effect... He'll find me again in no time, even with Bagworm... Damn that Takeshi...'

 _"Suzume, don't bother thinking about Takeshi. Just stay out of his way and go after Inukai. If you want to score points then go after him then go hide for the rest of the time."_

'So he's already injured, huh? I guess that'll help. We can deal with Takeshi later.' Nodding to herself, Suzume headed towards the four fighting while still being on lookout for the All-Rounder. 'We really aren't in synch this time...'

* * *

[I-! I can't believe it! Awdry-tai was taken out by what seemed to be a slash from Hikigane-taicho and a shot through the body from his own comrade, Kotowari-taicho!]

[I guess we use this to see how much the squad has been effected with their original captain off the team.]

[Even so, this development is concerning. To shoot through an ally with no consent or concern is bad. Especially when facing true enemies.]

"Why would he do something like that to his own teammate!?" Mitsubachi exclaimed as she turned to the two Snipers.

"Hm... That doesn't look good," Kodera said with a worried expression.

"With the way Kotowari is acting, I doubt he'll be actually scoring any points. He just gave one to the opposing team. Misaki should be aware of this, so she'll most likely stick to sniping the current weakest fighter and stay out of any fights to at least earn some points." Narasaka turned his attention from the screen to take a side glance above them. 'I wonder how Tsukiko is reacting to this...'

"She should be able to stay clear of any fighting. Her Side Effect is good for dodging close range opponents, right?"

"Yes, but there's an issue now thanks to Kotowari," Narasaka said, turning back to the screen and gaining the attention of the other two. "Misaki is able to dodge close range fighters because of her Side Effect while Awdry is able to dodge long range attacks because of his Side Effect, but with Awdry out and all current fights being able to fire at long range... She'll gave to be careful."

"My daughter is smart. I'm sure she'll find away around all of this, regardless if she doesn't have backup from her supposed teammate," Seihana commented calmly.

"I suppose we'll see how she does then."

* * *

'Sorry about this, but I need to make up for that idiot's mistake.'

Suzume could see her target from her spot on the roof. She had her Lightning ready to fire at the Gunner and was ready to fire the shot when...

"Found you~~"

"Shit!"

Jumped out of the way from some shots, Suzume clicked her tongue she saw Kirikari standing in front of her with a grin on his face and a Kōgetsu in hand. She mentally cursed at her incorrect assumption that she could land the shot before she was found out.

She took small glanced around the area, but couldn't find a spot where he couldn't get to her easily. Letting out a small sigh, she stood up straight as she lifted her hand for a Scorpion to wrap around her middle finger.

"Looks like I've got no choice..." She gave a menacing looked as a strong wind blew past them. "I'll just honestly use my Stinger to poison you so you won't be an issue anymore."

* * *

[And there it is! Misaki-tai's Twin Stingers!]

[I haven't seen that look on her face before. She must be really mad.]

[I wouldn't say she all out mad, but she is getting pretty irritated right now. I don't blame her though. Finding to she can't trust her own teammate and having been stopped by the same person would easily tick her off. She's the type to take comradery seriously, so the fact she hasn't taken out Kotowari out yet shows her ability to stay calm.]

[She must have realized something about the initial disbandment then. She's the first one of the three to seem to have gotten over it.]

[We'll see about that...]

* * *

"Hahaha! This is so fun!"

"Tsk."

Suzume jumped to another building and fired a shot as an Asteroid headed for her. She brought up her arm to block a strike from the Kōgetsu. She saw an arm going for her head and used her leg to kick it back before jumping back again and firing a shot.

Kirikari easily dodged the attack and went in for another strike, but noticed that Suzume was gone. He turned around and fired an Asteroid. He grinned when he saw her disappear again from mid-air and brought his Kōgetsu up to his back, blocking a stab from Suzume's Scorpion. He turned around to deliver a kick, but she had jumped back in time to dodge it.

Out of the corner of his eye he could see some flashes here and there and grinned even more. He could tell that most of Suzume's atheism was on him and hadn't noticed the two we're getting closer to the main fight. He didn't actually plan anything, but decided he would make one now.

"Hey, Kai-chan, we're headed your way. Did you take anyone else out yet?"

 _"Tsk. No. Each time I go after the damn dog, damn Masa gets in the way. And each time I go after Masa either Koto or Haru get in the way."_

"Well get ready to take one if them out in a bit."

 _"Sigh."_

Putting his little plan into motion, Kirikari rushed forward with a cube of Trion appearing next to him and his Kōgetsu ready to strike.

Already having figured out the other's "Rhythm," Suzume got ready to either block or defend. What happened was different though.

"Meteora!"

Instead of a head on attack, like she thought, explosive shots were fired in a different direction while Kirikari teleported somewhere else. Suzume went wide eyed when she turned around in time to barely dodge a slash to the head.

'A changin Rhythm...!?'

She hopped backwards on the roof of the building and fired another shot. It was easily dodged. She could see the area where the main fight was going on, along with her intended target.

Knowing that she wouldn't be able to get a good snipe in her current situation, she started coming up with another plan. She nodded to herself as she put away the Scorpion around her finger and brought out her Egret. She charged forward and used the Egret for a distraction. This seemed to work as Kirikari moved to the side before having to jump back to dodge the shot from her Lightning.

Kirikari crossed the small distance between them and tried to get a cut on Suzume, but she jumped up in time to dodge. He used a Scorpion to try and get her in the air, but missed. He grinned even wider when he saw her used her Egret in the air to try and get his head. Seeing the attack coming, he easily ducked under it and let the shot pass by his head.

The shot was now headed for Inukai instead. Before it could reach the target though, a Shield came up to block it with a slightly grinning Inukai behind it.

Seeing two targets within his range, Inukai was about to fire before he got his head cut clean off.

 **Trion limit exceeded. Bail Out.**

"Damn!"

 _"Use this chance, Suzume."_

Going back to the fight, Suzume did as she was told and tried to get away. That plan was failure though as Kirikari was yet again going in for attacks. Clicking her tongue again, Suzume went back to defense and mentally cursed when she noticed what position she was in now.

* * *

[And that's another point for Hikigane Squad! That was amazing! It seemed that Kirikari-tai used Misaki-tai's shot to distract Inukai-tai so that Hikigane-taicho could get the hit!]

[That's unusual. Most of the time those two don't come up with plans and just go for it.]

[I'm guessing it was a last minute thing by Kirikari. It worked out well and he manipulated Misaki so well that she didn't even notice it was a set up. Not only that, but look at where she is now.]

[Now all the remaining agents are gathers in one area! This is now become a 2 vs 1 vs 2 fight!]

[That's wrong. It's more accurate to say this is a 1 vs 1 vs 1 vs 2 fight.]

'There's no way she can get out do this one. With Kotowari going at his own pace and the other three ready to surround her... Looks like they won't be scoring any points this time.' Narasaka shook his head and let out a small sigh. "That idiot. Not even going to help his own teammate."

"Narasaka-senpai, do you think she'll be able to-"

"Of course, of course she can! She'll be able to get out of this no problem!" Mitsubachi looked at the screen with determination.

"..."

"Do you believe that, Misaki-san?"

"As I said before, you know my daughter better than me when it comes to fighting. It's up to you to decide that." Seihana kept her eyes on the screen, but still had her attention on Narasaka. "So what do you think?"

"... I think she'll Bail Out soon."

* * *

 _"Suzume... I really don't know what would be the best strategy here. Against two maybe, but with how things are right now..."_

"I know. I'll just give it my all, I suppose. Honestly. This isn't what I thought would happen in our _first match_. Damn."

Letting out a sigh, Suzume put away both her Egret and Lightning.

To everyone it seemed like she had given up, but they all knew she wasn't the type to just throw in the towel, so no one made a move yet, not even Takeshi.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

Having had enough of it after a minute, Kirikari was gone in a teleportation. He was behind Suzume in an instant and was in mid-swing when...

 **BAM!**

Kirikari was pushed back when his swing was stopped and swatted away by Suzume.

The fights were a little shocked to see how it had happened. Instead of using a Scorpion to block, or just take the hit, she had pulled out her Ibis and swung it around to land a heavy hit on the blond.

"Screw all of this! Honestly, I'll beat you all down with brute force if I have to!"

That's when the battle started up again.

The orbs around Takeshi's head started firing off laser-like beams at Ninomiya, Kirikari and Hikigane.

Two cubes of Trion appeared by Ninomiya before splitting up and firing off multiple shots.

A cube of Trion appeared next to Hikigane and Kirikari respectively as they ran towards their opponents.

Suzume brought out her Hidden Stinger and lifted the Ibis.

Kirikari rushed at Suzume intent on finally finishing her off while firing shots to block Ninomiya's attacks and dodged the beams that were able to branch out.

Suzume blocked each strike from the Kōgetsu while she weaves through each beam and swatted each shot away. She brought out her Lightning again and fired shots at Ninomiya.

Ninomiya continued to move around so as not to get hit by the beams, the Kōgetsu strikes from Hikigane or the shots from Suzume. He unleashed Hound after Hound as he moved around.

Takeshi did the same by using his beams as a defense against shots and a wall from Hikigane. He separated them according to who he was going after. He wasn't _trying_ to hit Suzume, but didn't take any caution when firing.

Hikigane internally sighed as he had to dodge everything from beams, to shots and even some stabs. He knew it would be tough, having fought Ninomiya multiple times, but having Takeshi going crazy with his beams and a Ibis being swung around didn't help.

Suzume had been able to get some good shots on Kirikari, and even some on Ninomiya, but was quickly running out of Trion. She knew she wouldn't last much longer, so she got ready to use her trump card.

She pushed Kirikari back and got ready to use her Lightning, but when wide eyed when a beam went past her and took off both her and Kirikari's arm. She clicked her tongue and moved to the side as another beam when passed her and headed for Kirikari again.

Seeing the attack coming, Hikigane was able to move his teammate out of the way, albeit at the cost of his own arm. He threw a Scorpion at Takeshi and watched as it was destroyed from another beam.

 **Trion limit exceeded. Bail Out.**

He turned his head to see Kirikari Bail Out and Ninomiya turning his eyes from the area back to Takeshi. Hikigane let out an irritated sigh as he rushed at Suzume. But he noticed something was off.

Suzume was standing still with her Ibis facing the sky.

"Guess that's all for me."

'Crap.'

'...'

'At least she's being useful.'

Reacting quickly, Hikigane telepotered in front of Suzume and was able to cut her clean in half in an instant. He watched as cracks started to appear on her face, but knew it was too late.

 **She already fired the shot.**

Seeing shadows go over the area, all three of the remaining fighters brought up a Fullguard to try and block the massive rain of Trion coming down on them.

 **Trion limit exceeded. Bail Out.**

They watched as Suzume flew off while they were all stuck with large amount of Trion falling on them and breaking through their defenses. They each tried to get under some cover, but couldn't block all of them.

By the end of the rain, Hikigane was missing half a leg, Takeshi was missing an arm and part of his leg and Ninomiya had lost a leg.

* * *

"Whoa... That was awesome!"

"Narasaka-kun, what was that just now?" Seihana asked, turning to the Sniper. "She only fired one shot, so why were there multiple shots coming down?"

"I'm sure they'll explain in a second."

[And that was Misaki-tai's trump card! The only Sniper in Border to use the Optional Trigger Heavy Rain!]

[Not only was she able to move around like that while swinging an Ibis around, but she had enough Trion to use that. It really is quite amazing.]

[That's not surprising. She clearly has the talent to be an All-Rounder and she herself helped in the creation of Heavy Rain.]

[For anyone who doesn't know, Heavy Rain is an Optional Trigger made for Snipers who are using an Ibis. As just shown, the fighter fires a shot which splits into multiple shots. Misaki-tai is the only one to use it though since most find it's more like a Shooter than a Sniper. Anyone can use it, granted they require a good amount of Trion to use it's full potential.]

"That's my sis for ya! The only one to use it!" Mitsubachi said with her chest puffed out.

"That's because, as said, it's too much like a Shooter using Asteroid. There's no point in using it if you can just be a Shooter," Narasaka said as he glared at the screen and tensed up. "It's things like that, and the fact that _she helped_ to make it that I absolutely hate her style of fighting. Not only that, but using an Ibis as if it was just a blunt weapon..."

"I have to admit that using a Trigger for sniping like that..." Shouhei got a worried look on his face. It's not that he was against her way of fighting, but he just didn't like certain aspects of it.

"If it gets the job done, then what's the matter?"

* * *

"I'm honestly sorry guys. I couldn't even get an injured person," Suzume said in a low voice.

"It's fine. You didn't know that Kirikari's Rhythm would change," Mei answered as she continued to look at the screen.

"I thought that only Yuki-san could change his Rhythm, so I wasn't prepared."

"I'll make you a list of people who's Rhythm can change later on."

"Thanks, Mei-san."

"You did great out there, Suzume. It's that damn bas-"

"Toby."

"Tsk. I'm just saying..."

"The fight is almost done. Complain to him when he gets back. It shouldn't take too long."

* * *

'It's just us three. I should have used Senpai to get a hit on Hikigane-san.'

Building his defenses back up, Takeshi looked for an opening to try and get one of his two opponents to Bail Out, but found none. It didn't help that both he and Ninomiya were stuck in Hikigane's Side Effect and couldn't get their timing right.

'I don't have enough Trion for Laser Circus... And I'm not running away from these two...'

Getting back to the fight, he saw some Hounds headed for him. He got rid of them and fired at Ninomiya. Seeing that there was no way to win for him, Takeshi put all his energy in trying to get Ninomiya, but he couldn't do much as Hikigane was quickly behind him, ready to strike.

"Hm. That's checkmate."

Both the Shooter and All-Rounder weren't surprised in the least when they were both full of holes in an instant. They both flipped Ninomiya off before...

 **Trion limit exceeded. Bail Out.**

 **Trion limit exceeded. Bail Out.**

* * *

QOTC: Favorite Sniper?

* * *

 **So there you have it. Sorry that the end of this fight was anti-climatic, but I didn't feel like dealing with it when there were only three left and all three were pretty much ready to Bail Out. I still hope you all enjoyed though.**

 **Until next time! Bye!**


	24. Kotowari Squad: Part 2

**This chapter is...odd. It's odd job the sense that there's almost no real purpose to it. I still hope you enjoy though. Now let's get started.**

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own World Trigger, Minoru is owned by Yujonokage and Noah is owned by Zazaza gogo da

* * *

 **Chapter 25:** Kotowari Squad: Part 2

* * *

[Both Kotowari-taicho and Hikigane-taicho have Bailed Out! That's the match! With Ninomiya-taicho being the only one left, Ninomiya Squad gets the survival points. The final score is 5 to 4 to 0! The victor is Ninomiya Squad!]

[This fight really showed how much Tsukiko's absence made a difference it the squad, along with what the other squads seemed to think of the squad.]

[This match wasn't so much one of strategy as it was a free-for-all to see who could take out Kotowari Squad first and end the remaining team.]

* * *

"..."

"You're not gonna stay? They're about to do the review."

"Kushikage, do me a favor."

"What ever do you require from me, o great brother of mine?"

"Quite your mouth shut."

"Love you too."

* * *

"What the hell is your problem! Using us like that wasn't a part of the plan!"

Takeshi just looked at Toby with a cold stare as he was pulled forward by his shirt. He didn't make any over to get away, or even any move to show that he was even paying attention to the brunet.

"That _was_ a part of the plan."

Thought the whole fight, Takeshi had been thinking about how he could use everything to his advantage. He didn't see anything around him in "color," so he thought of everything as a tool for him to win. From the wind, to the buildings, to Toby and Suzume, he saw them all as objects that he could use to score some points.

Mei simply watched with calculating eyes. She didn't have Jin's foresight, but her calculating Side Effect was more than enough to see everything that was happening and where they would lead up. All there percentages were exactly as she thought.

She knew that Suzume had been getting over the disbandment rather quickly while Toby seemed too preoccupied with something else entirely. Takeshi was the only one who was actually still focusing on the whole ordeal. This is what made Mei worry-... No. Not worried. The more accurate term would be that she was _curious._

She was curious as to how Takeshi could get so attached to Yuki in a short amount of time. She was curious as to how he could easily revert back to when she had first met him. She was curious as to how close the two actually were. She was curious as to who Takeshi actually thought he was.

"For now...let's hear the review," Suzume said, being the only normal one between the three.

* * *

[This match was set in a windy, unstable area, chosen by Kotowari Squad, yet the ones who chose the area were the ones who lost.]

[I'm sure Kotowari had already planned something out, but as things went on, he changed his course to simply using sneak attacks, that ultimately failed. Instead of synching with his teammates, he used them as if they were dispensable tools. A style like that is terrible in general, but against a squad like Hikigane where they don't even need works to be in synch, well that's just stupid. Not only that, but there's a reason Ninomiya Squad is at the top. Teamwork is always key when entering these matches.]

[Moving to the match itself, both agents Misaki and Awdry weren't able to score any points, but under the circumstances they were in they seemed capable enough.]

[Even with the thought that his teammate would be backing him up, Awdry didn't pull any punches and showed his skills in close combat and weaving through each attack aimed for him. Misaki also showed great skill in adapting to what was going on and using her chances to try and score a point, even if it failed.]

[That being said, while using an Ibis as a blunt weapon isn't against any rules, and can actually come in handy in situations like this, it can give Snipers a bad image. She has already started a controversy with the way she uses her Lightning, and this may have just switched some of the people not minding her to the other side.]

[Going to Ninomiya Squad, they're reputation is well founded by the fact that not only did Inukai-tai hold out until he accidentally fell into a trap, but Ninomiya-taicho seemed to have been the only one to score any points. As a matter of fact, only Ninomiya-taicho and Hikigane-taicho were able to score points.]

[That's because they were the center of the fighting. Those two were the main targets of Kotowari, so they simply had to dodge his shots and go for anyone else they wanted. Hikigane-san's Side Effect is one that effects everyone around and has no restraint, meaning that if you aren't prepared a minute in advance, you're done. He knew that Tsuji was a great support so he must have already been aiming to get rid of him.]

[The two captains also had unintended backup for their mutual opponent, Kotowari Squad. While Kotowari Squad was being targeted by the squad members, the captains were able to not only pick off the weakest squad there, but each other's squads as well.]

[That can clearly be shown when Kirikari had used Misaki to distract Inukai long enough for his captain to deliver the final blow.]

[If we were being completely honest, the fight might not even be over between Ninomiya-san and Hikigane-san. The only reason it's over is because Hikigane-san was probably getting tired of the fight.]

[I'm sure most are thinking that Ninomiya Squad may be keeping their position throughout this whole time while Hikigane Squad is trying, but not hard enough. They may even be thinking about Kotowari Squad and the actions they have taken throughout this battle. All of these are things to thinking about as this first round comes to a close. I, Ayatsuji, have been your commentator for this time. I would like to thank both of our color commentators for joining us as well.]

[No problem.]

[My pleasure.]

* * *

"Yes! Leave it to Taka to win!" Minoru stopped his small cheering when he noticed Henry and his son start to leave. "So, after that, and what they had to say about Fuzzy head, what do you think?"

"Hm. He really is...a disappointment." Henry didn't turn around and kept a cool tone that had an underlining smugness to it. "Regardless if he was facing multiple people, he should have seen, or at the very least expected, the betrayal of his teammate. The fact he couldn't shows he clearly can't go any higher."

"Hey, no one expected Laser-kun to do that! You can't blame him for not thinking he would be betrayed! Those two are-"

"You are about to say 'Those two are friends,' correct?" Henry gave a single glance back with a bored expression. "I can tell that the gray haired boy doesn't see any color. Someone like my failure son, who is full of it, is basically invisible in his eyes."

"You son of a..."

Minoru simply watched with clenched fists as the older man continued to walk away. He wasn't one to really get mad easily, but the man he had just spoken to was able to make him want to hit something, even if just one time. He hadn't even noticed a group of four people walking passed him.

"I didn't expect that..." Kodera muttered as he walked with the Misakis and his fellow Sniper.

"That's so, so, so messed up! If she wants to-"

"No, it's not 'if she wants to fight like that,' at all as a matter of fact," Narasaka said, looking down at the girl. "She took up the position of Sniper, so fighting like that and using sniping Triggers like that is insulting. If she wants to be the center of attention then she should be a Gunner, or an actual Attacker. I am sorry, Misaki-san, but that's how I feel."

"That's quite alright, Narasaka-kun. I understand how you feel," Seihana said with a calm expression. "That being said, you should tell her how you feel."

"I have, but she's too stubborn to actually listen."

"That sure sounds like her," the woman said with a small giggle. "Narasaka-kun, may I ask you a question?"

"By all means."

"Do you happen to know the reason why she became a Sniper?"

"No. Whenever we talk to each other we have usually be pulled away since we usually argue."

"I see. She doesn't tell us much about when she's here, so we actually don't know the answer either." The two Misakis started to walk in a different direction. "You might want to ask her about it at some point."

"Hm. I'd rather not even be around her..."

* * *

"I'm not sure what to do with them."

"Just beat them until they get it."

As they continued talking, Yuki and Mei sat under a tree while a nice breeze passed by them. They had been talking about the match the night before and what could be done to help their friends.

They were the two who knew more about the other three the most, so they didn't bother to ask anyone else for help. Not only that, but times like these were now rare for the two since they had to deal with the three B-Ranks or people from their branch respectively.

They both missed times like this, where there was no one else around, and just wanted to take the scenery in. Too bad they couldn't though. They had to discuss what they would do with the squad that had just shown exactly how they felt at the time.

"I would really like to, trust me, but I'm not sure I'm best suited for that task. You on the other hand..." Mei slowly turned her gaze to her friend.

"You already know I'm busy," Yuki sighed out.

"I'm sure Hoshi-chan and Mukuro can hold her down long enough for you to-"

"It's not because of that. I'm busy with something else."

" **Oh-ho~?** " Mei stood up and went in front of Yuki as she cracked her knuckles. " **This is the** ** _second time_** **you haven't told me about something you're doing.** "

"W-well...you s-see... This isn't r-really _that_ imp-portant... Heh heh heh..."

Yuki tried to back up, but couldn't with a tree right behind him. He started sweating like crazy while the thought of faking his sickness came to mind. It was quickly shot down when he remembered that she would easily be able to tell he was faking.

Mei took a step forward with a dark aura almost radiating off of her. She pulled back her fist, making Yuki bring up his arms. She brought it down with what seemed like enough strength to crack the tree behind Yuki and aimed right for his face.

'Please don't kill me!'

Tap.

"..."

Yuki opened his eyes to see Mei still standing there and arm outstretched. Instead of a face full of fist though, he moved his gaze up to see the fist calmly placed on his forehead.

"I hope this reminds you that you shouldn't keep secret from your best friend ever," Mei said as she pulled her arm back and let out a sigh. "Now then... Why don't you tell me what you're up to now?"

"R-...right..."

* * *

'That damn jerk... We're already done with the first so I can't back out now...'

Toby stormed through the streets of Mikado City with a face full of red and hair being blown by the wind. After stay for a while at the Border base, he decided he'd just head out instead if having to hear any whispers from his fellow agents. He could ignore whispers from civilians way easier.

"Tsk." Stopping for a moment, he took a big breath in before exhaling and seeming to deflate. "Just...calm down... I'm stuck with him until the Rank Wars are done... I'll just stay clear of him in our next match, that's all."

"Awdry-kun!" Hoshi ran towards him while waving her arm with a smile. "What are you doing here?"

"Hm? Hoshi? What's up?" Getting a better look at the girl, he could see that in contrast to her usual modest attire, she was wearing a very short skirt and a shirt that hugged her upper body nicely. This in turn caused him to get a small blush. "Why the heck are you wearing something like that?"

"Huh? Oh. My sister came back not too long ago and took me out shopping. She got me some clothes like this and basically forced me to wear them. Ha ha ha..." Hoshi scratched her cheek sheepishly as she got her own little blush from the clothes. "Do they not look good on me?"

"No! I mean, yes! Well...I'm sure you know what I mean."

"So what are you doing here? I would have thought you would be doing some solo matches right now."

"Oh. Well I kinda got tired of those..."

"...I saw your first match..."

"You did, huh?"

"So did I! I gotta say, you were pretty awesome out there!"

The two were shocked when a boy had put an arm around Toby's shoulder and smiled at the two. The boy had black hair, hazel eyes and a pair of ski goggles with a purple rim around his neck.

"Hey there, dude. Nice to meet you. I'm Noah Shor, and you're Toby, right?"

"Yeah. Now why are you talking like you know us?" Toby asked as she took a step away.

"Sorry about that. Actually, I'm like you in the sense that I'm from America," Noah said as he extended his arm. "Sorry about that. It's just nice knowing someone else from America, ya know?"

"I gotcha. Even if all these people are great, it still minds feels like I'm the odd man out," Toby said, taking the handshake.

"I know, right?" Seeing Hoshi just standing off to the side, Noah turned his gaze to her. "Oh? Am I interrupting your date? Sorry about that."

"N-n-no! We're just friends!" Hoshi said with an even bigger blush and waving arms. "I just happen to see him passing by, is all!"

"Alright. So, who are you then?"

"O-oh! Sorry about that. I'm Taiyōko Hoshi." She took a bow as she continued. "It's very nice to meet you."

"Likewise. So, if you two aren't on a date, would you mind a third person in your party?"

"I don't see why not. You cool with that, Hoshi?"

"Not at all."

The three started walking around and talked about one thing or another. The conversations went from favorite foods to the position each one of them were. Someone seeing them wouldn't have thought that one if them was furious a moment ago.

"Hey, Toby. Where's your phone?" Suzume walked up to the three while letting out a sigh. "Honestly. You should have your phone on you at all times. Mei-san and I have been trying to reach you for a while now."

"Hm? Oh. Must've forgotten it. Well what did you need?"

"Hm? Maybe they were just worried about you," Noah said as the Sniper got to them.

"Worried? No. We already know this guy can take care of himself. There's honestly never a reason to worry," Suzume said as she flipped her hair. "That being said, Mei-san is calling _all_ of us for something."

"Taka- Ah. I mean Mei-senpai? Would you mind if I went as well?" Hoshi asked, looking at Suzume. "I want to thank her for helping me out before."

"I'm not..."

"Sure. Let's go. I'm sure she won't mind," Toby said as he out his hands in his pockets. "what about you, Noah?"

"I'm good. I actually have to meet up with my squad in a bit. I'll see you later though."

"Gotcha. See ya, dude."

"Who was that?" Suzume asked as the three continued walking. "A friend?"

"Yeah."

"I see."

Toby gave a questioning look to Suzume. He figured she would be going a little crazy and start asking ridiculous questions. He could honestly say he would have preferred that than the calm answer he got.

* * *

"Hello, senpai. It's good to see you again," Hoshi greeted with a smile.

"Same. It's nice to see you too," Mei greeted back with her own smile. She turned her attention to the other three. "So I wanted to talk to you three about something concerning the next match."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"I want you to slip up and don't go anywhere near each other. I also want you to only use one Trigger." Mei took a sip of her drink as she waited for the reactions. They were exactly as she thought. "The reason I say the latter one is so that I can test something out. That being said, if you're in a predicament then I will allow the use of any other Trigger."

'Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to come here...'

"So do you three understand?

"Yes, ma'am."

"Sure thing."

"..."

"Good. Now there's something else I want to tell you three. Hoshi, would you mind leaving the room for a second?"

"A-ah! Sure!" Doing as she was told, Hoshi stood up and took her love. "Of you could tell me when to come back in... I want to ask you something, Senpai."

"Alright. I will do that." Getting a nod, Mei turned back to the three. "If you three don't get yourselves together... There will be a _special_ surprise waiting for you."

* * *

QOTC: Are there any particular fights you would like to see the ocs in?

* * *

 **So not the** ** _best_** **chapter I've made, but that's more because I wanted to get to the next one. That one and the next one should be way better than this. Heck, even the question was just some random one since I couldn't really come up with one this time.**

 **That's all I have to say.**

 **Until next time! Sayonara!**


	25. Yagura Branch

**And here is number 25! I don't really have anything to say! Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own World Trigger, Sora is owned by Zazaza gogo da, Kaede and Maya are owned by Awesome Sauce.**

* * *

 **Chapter 25:** Yagura Branch

* * *

"Man~~! I'm tellin' ya, dealing with those people takes a toll on a guy." Akasora groaned as he rubbed his shoulder. "Seriously, I'm just lucky that each of the worst ones have a straight man with them."

"It can't be that bad," Shinoda said as he moved his shogi piece. "I know Kushikage can be a handful, but-"

"But nothing. She goes off to annoy another people almost 24/7 and her main target is usually Mei. You don't seem to realize what I have to put up with. I'd much rather prefer having Takumi's branch members than my own."

"Now you don't really mean that," Rindo said as he looked at the board. "Think about it like this, Yuki keeps Kushi-chan in line while Ame keeps Kaze in line. Mukuro just loiters around while Shobu and Hoshi are well behaved."

"Still... I would definitely prefer your group than mine. You have less people."

"Stop complaining. You know you love their company."

"I does keep things interesting."

"It's not just them." Akasora let out a sigh as he laid down. "There's that damn interview I have to deal with later."

"That's right. I forgot you have to do that."

"So have you decided on who's gonna help you?"

"It would have been great if Mei was with us, but I'm gonna have to go with those two brothers. Kushi would ruin so much stuff if she went and the rest aren't the type for stuff like that. Those two are my only option." He let out a groan as he covered his eyes. "Damn it all. I shouldn't have accepted this job."

"You never change."

"That's not a complain, is it?"

"Of course not."

"Pah! Then I have to wear a damn suit!" Sitting up straight, Akasora threw his arms in the air. "Screw that! If those two idiots get to wear their uniforms then I'm wearin' my track suit!"

"Not that shocking," Rindo said with a laugh. "You won't take that off for any event. Whether it was the funeral or wedding, you'll always wear that thing."

"That's a given," Shinoda said with a sigh. "It's like a second skin for him. To be fair though, it's understandable why he doesn't like taking it off I'm placement of a suit."

"True."

Silence filled the air as the three men just went about leisure time. Only a few sounds were heard while they relaxed and didn't try to bother with work. It was a nice feeling that none of them wanted to move away from. That is until...

 **ZZZT! ZZZTTT!**

"Yeah?... Seriously!?... Have you told Yuki yet?... Fine. Just...make sure she doesn't get to Mei. I'll see what I can do. Yeah. Bye."

Akasora let out a large sigh before standing up and turning around to where he was facing the couch. Shinoda and Rindo just raised an eyebrow. Akasora lifted his arm before exhaling.

"Damn that brat! Can't! She! Just! Behave!?" With each word spoken a punch to the cushions came. "What! The! Hell! Is! That! Idiot! Doing!?"

"Kushikage again?" Shinoda asked once his friend calmed down a bit.

"Tsk. Who else? Apparently she hid tons of important things, glued Mukuro's feet to the wall and is now on her way to see how many people she can irritate." Letting out one final sigh, Akasora rubbed his forehead. "The interview... This woman... That idiot wanting to train too much... I can't catch a break, can I?" Shoving his hands in his pockets, the man started to walk towards the door. "I'll see ya later. I have to go deal with irritations."

"Good luck."

"See ya."

* * *

"Going for a while always feels great. Don't you think?" Hoshi smiled at the boy next to her as the two walked through the streets.

"... Yes..."

"So do you and Sensei even just spend time as a family?"

"... Yes... We go find new plants...in the woods...

"I'm sure you have fun with that." She let out a giggle when she saw the younger one blush.

"Hoshi-senpai! Hey!"

"Huh? Oh. Kaede-kun, hello." Hoshi pulled a small chocolate from her bag and handed it to him. "Here you go. For you."

"Ah! Thanks!" He gladly took it and gave a smile. "So what are you doing? And who's this?"

"Oh. I was just taking a stroll. And this is Shobu-kun," she said, gesturing to him.

"... Tenryū Shokubutsu... Hello..."

"Nice to meet you! I'm Tsukiko Kaede!" The boy gave a beaming smile while Shobu simply stared.

"... Tsukiko...?"

"He's not related to Tsukiko Yuki-senpai. They simply have the same name."

"..."

"So-"

"Tsukiko-kun! I said to wait!" Another boy ran up to then until he was in front if them, panting a little. "I was telling you to slow down."

"Oh. Sorry about that. I just saw someone I know."

"Is that so?" Looking up the boy saw the other two looking at him. "Hello. I am Hachidori Sora. It's nice to meet you."

"Yes. Likewise. I am Taiyōko Hoshi and this is Tenryū Shokubutsu," Hoshi said with a smile. "So what were you two doing?"

"We were going to meet up at the base," Kaede answered as he glanced at Shobu. "How old are you?"

"... 14..."

"What!? Seriously!? You look like you're my age!"

"..."

"That's rude, Tsukiko-kun," Sora said as he gave a small bow to Shobu. "I'm sorry for him."

"... It's okay... I don't mind..."

"See? It's fine," Kaede said with a smile, making Sora let out a small sigh.

While the three just talked to each other, Hoshi couldn't help the little giggle that escaped her lips. She found that the three seemed really cute, like three little animals together. She had to rub her eyes to make sure the halo and wings on them was just her eyes playing tricks on her.

She started following them from behind as they all made their way to the Border Headquarters. She could see others, mostly females, staring at the trio in front of her. The giggle came back as she felt something vibrate in her pocket. She put her hand in her pocket and fished out her phone.

"Hello? Oh, Mu-nii, what is it?... Well we are headed there anyways. I suppose we can find her. ... Alright. I'll tell them right away. Bye."

"Who was that?" Kaede asked, turning back to the girl.

"You shouldn't get into others' business," Sora said in an almost scolding tone.

"It's fine. It was just my brother," Hoshi answered with a small giggle. "It wasn't really anything."

"... Kushikage-sama...?"

"Yeah. Apparently she's at the base and glued Mu-nii's feet to the wall. He said to look out for her."

Kaede and Sora just looked at each other before shrugging and getting back to their conversation.

* * *

"I wouldn't be in this mess if you just followed and came to the branch," Yuki sighed as he sat next to Mei. "But I guess it's obvious why you didn't want to go."

The two were calmly sitting at a table with an ice cream in front of one and a drink in front of the other. It had been a day after Kotowari Suqad's second match and Mei had called her friend over to discuss it, along with other things.

"That woman is too much for me," Mei said as she took a drink.

"I know. I get it." Taking some of the ice cream into his mouth, Yuki seemed more laid back than usual. "So how was the match?"

"You haven't seen it yet?"

"I've been busy."

"It was...better. Only in the sense that they scored points this time. The teamwork is still bad," Mei said with a sigh. "I told them to stay out of each other's way, but the moment Toby and Takeshi were close enough, all hell broke loose again."

"So I assume you're going to put that "surprise" into action now?"

"Yeah. Sorry to ask this of you."

"It's fine. It's gonna help both parties," Yuki said as he ate more ice cream with a grin. "It might even been fun."

"Ya got a little something there."

"Hm?"

"You've got another chip right there."

"Hm. I'm sure you'd feel the way. Those three are like kids you need to discipline and love at the same time." A content smile came on Yuki's face as some thoughts came to his mind.

"Hm. More like troublemaking kids that need to be put in their place." Taking another drink Mei continued with a small smile. "But I guess you're right. They do have their moments. The main issues are with Toby and Takeshi though. Apparently Toby's family have come here as sponsors for Border while Takeshi is reacting negatively at the loss of his 'color.'"

"So Suzu is fine? I'd expect as much from her."

"Well there _are_ some issue since their first match, but that's more for her to figure out. After seeing her use the sniping Triggers like that she's been dealing with some idiots."

"What about Satori?"

"Hm. Do you really need to ask?" Mei asked with a smile. "He'll always be on her side. Shockingly enough though, I've seen Narasaka defend her behind her back from time-to-time. In his own way of course."

"Really now? Hm. Knowing him, he probably doesn't even notice he's defending her."

The two continued talking with a nice atmosphere between them. For anyone just looking on they would assume the two were a couple who were on a date. They simply enjoyed the time they had with each other that they hadn't been able to have as much as before.

 **BAM!**

"What did you say!?"

"I said that coddling you brother that much won't help him out."

"I'm just looking out for him!"

Yuki and Mei let out a simultaneous sigh as they heard one of the voices. They tried their best to ignore the ongoing argument, but it seemed to get louder and louder. They finally had enough when they heard another familiar voice.

Standing up, they walked over to the area the fight was going on at and saw exactly who they expected to see. Kushikage was smirking down at another girl while Hoshi and her little group tried to calm the situation down. Yuki had actually remembered the girl as the one who had accidentally knocked his pills out of his hand.

"Ah! Senpai!"

"Hm? Oh. Hey, you two. On a date?"

"Stop irritating people for at least one day," Yuki sighed out. He was tired of seeing that smirk on his sister's face. He turned to the girl and bowed. "I'm sorry for her. I'm sure she said stuff she shouldn't and she'll get punishment later."

"I said nothing wrong," Kushikage said with a nonchalant shrug. "From one older sister to another, I was just telling her what she's doing wrong."

"Kushi, just shut up. You're one of the last people who should be talking about being a good sister." Yuki gave a slight glare at the other A-Rank.

"Why don't we just calm down," Hoshi said as Sora and Shobu simply watched from the sidelines. "There's no point in arguing. You're both great sisters, so let's just leave it at that."

"Come on. Like Hoshi-senpai said, you're a great sister," Kaede said, looking at his sister.

Deciding to listen to the others, Maya gave a final glare at Kushikage before taking her brother, along with Sora, away to go find her squad.

Letting out a sigh, Yuki turned to Kushikage and got an irritated expression on his face. He could see her smirking at the direction the three had left while Hoshi and Shobu seemed uncomfortable in the current situation. He was about to scold her when...

"Seriously, stop messing around like you do. All you ever do is go at your own pace and end up getting more people mad at you. You may be older than us, but there's no way you're better than us."

The three younger ones just stared at Mei as she glared daggers at Kushikage. They hadn't expected _her_ of all people to say something like that. She was usually calm and collected, but it seemed like she had just snapped.

Kushikage on the other hand simply grinned down at Mei with her arms under her breasts. She seemed glad to see this side of Mei and walked closer until she was just an inch away.

"And what exactly are you going to do about it, _Shitokei Fuji-chan?_ "

Mei went from glaring daggers to a look that could make almost anyone soil themselves. She could tell how shocked Hoshi was on the side while Yuki seemed more uncomfortable now. She didn't even need to look to see Hoshi staring at Yuki now.

"I...I want to beat you to a pulp, but... We're not aloud to fight outside a match... So that's what's going to happen." Backing up, Mei continued to glare and pointed straight at her face. "A single match. If I win then you quite your shit."

"Hm? And if I win?" Seeing the glare lower a bit, Kushikage smirked and whispered something in the younger one's ear. She back up and put a hand on her hip. "How does that sound?"

"Wh-what!? Th-that's-"

"Yes or no?"

"... Fine. You're on."

* * *

Mukuro let out a tired sigh as he remembered how he got in the predicament of having his feet glued to a wall.

 _"Hey, Kushi-nee, mind if I ask you something?"_

 _Kushikage looked up from her phone to see Mukuro standing by the couch she was on. She always felt odd whenever she was asked a question from him. While she got the genes of a solider from their parents, he had gotten their brains, so getting a question from him made her feel slightly dumb._

 _"Sure. What's up?"_

 _"I wanted to know why you love to rile up Fu-chan the most," Mukuro asked as he leaned on the end of the couch._

 _"Oh. That's an easy one." Sitting up straight, Kushikage gave her signature smirk. "Because even if I know that she's the best girl out there for our lovely brother, she's become more tame since we left. The same can be said about Kiyoshi. I want to bring them back to when they were more wild. These days have been kinda boring."_

 _"... It's because you heard about how they did in the recent invasion, correct?"_

 _"Yeah. The opponent caused more damage to the area then those two did, so it shows how much they're holding back. I don't like that." Having one of her rare moment, Kushikage got a deep frown on her face as she continued. "These 'Yuki' and 'Mei' images don't suit them at all. The title that suit them way better are 'Copycat Soldier' and 'Super Computor.' So sorry if I can't stand them right now."_

 _Mukuro let out a tired sigh before a yawn. He understood that it seemed like the two were different from before and that his sister preferred them before, but he also understood their reasoning. Being one if the only people who knew what happened before, he was fine with how they currently were._

 _"Hm." He had his own smirk in place. "I'm sure they both have their wild sides. They just want more friends than enemies, so it's obvious they would go by 'Yuki' and 'Mei' than 'Kiyoshi' and 'Fuji.' No need to be mad at them."_

 _He suddenly went on alert mode when his sister quickly turned to him with a big grin on her face. He backed up a bit when she stood up and walked towards him. He quickly jumped it the side to dodge a grab and saw what her real target was._

 _A bottle of fast drying glue._

 _He gulped as he continued to dodge her attempts at trying to catch him. What he hadn't noticed was that she was actually backing him into a corner. He was now stuck with no escape and no way of pleading to her._

 _He had made the mistake of not wearing his sandals at the time as he was tackled to the ground. He could feel her sitting on him and lifting his feet up. He struggles to get out, but couldn't with how much weight was being out on him. He felt the slimy glue being poured on the bottom of his feet before they were quickly pulled and pushed up against the wall._

 _"There we go. No just sit tight while I got have some fun. 'Kay?"_

 _Mukuro let out a sigh as he watched her leave with a hop in her step. He fished his phone out of his pocket - he was glad he remembered to have that on him - and dialed a number he knew would help, even if reluctantly._

 _"Akasora-san. We have a problem."_

* * *

 **4-Koma Omake**

 **1**

Mukuro: *whistling nonchalantly*

Kaze: Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha! You really are stuck!

Mukuro: Shut up and help me out.

 **2**

Ame: So what's this all about?

Mukuro: *rubs head* My sister is doing something dumb again.

Ame: Again?

Mukuro: Don't ask.

 **3**

Ame: So what's she planning this time?

Mukuro: *shrugs* Who knows. She goes at her own pace, so I can't tell what's she's going to do.

Kaze: I wanna see what she does.

 **BOOM!**

 **4**

Mukuro, Kaze, Ame: *looks out window*

Ame:...

Mukuro: Great. She blew up another part of the base.

Kaze & Ame: _ANOTHER PART!?_

* * *

QOTC: How do you think the end result of the fight will turn out?

QOTC 2: What do you think of the omake and the style? (Would you like to see them more?)

* * *

 **And there you have it! I hope you all enjoyed! If you didn't than that's my fault and I apologize!**

 **This chapter was kinda just to show off the Yagura Branch members and the first appearance of the Cutiepie Trio. Unless you see my ToD you probably won't understand what the Cutiepie Trio is.**

 **Also, I'm sorry Sauce if I messed what little time I gave Maya.**

 **Unlike with Minoru and Mukuro, you actually will get the fight next time, so look forward to that.**

 **Until next time! Bye-bi!**


	26. Mei Takaoto: Part 3

**So here is number 26! This one is different in the writing style because I was bored and curious as to if I could do it. Also, this chapter is shorter, but that reason is put at the bottom. Now let's begin!**

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own World Trigger

 **Note:** If you wanna know what Mei's Trion body outfit looks like then go to my bio and find her name

* * *

 **Chapter 26:** Mei Takaoto: Part 3

* * *

Murakami had just been passing by when he heard the argument going on. He was planning on finding Kageura for a match, but ended up being caught when a heard certain things being said. Deciding to go and see what the fuss was about he came to the side of Mei pointing to a taller woman with a serious expression.

Letting out a sigh, he walked forward when the group was about to leave and tapped Yuki on the shoulder. He asked about what was going on and gave a small worried look at the back of Mei's head after hearing the situation. Since she had been in high school, the two were on really good terms with him respecting her as an agent, his senpai and as a strong person in general.

He took a glance to Yuki and figured they had matching expressions. They hadn't seen Mei this serious for a few years and neither of them wanted to see her fight when mad again. They feared the nightmares that would come afterwards. Even with this in mind, neither of them actually went against this fight and simply followed behind.

When they had made it to their destination the two older women made their way to the booths to get ready for the fight.

Yuki let out a sigh and seemed to be keeping his distance from Hoshi, who at the time was still trying to figure certain things out, and stuck to Murakami's side like a puppy with its master. He could see that Shobu was feeling awkward in this whole situation, which was understandable since he was the only one that had no connection to the event at all. If he had to guess, Yuki would say that the youngest one was there only because he was too shy to leave any of their sides.

For her part, Hoshi simply sat next to Shobu while she waited for the match to begin. She wasn't sure if she should watch it though. She knew how rough her sister could be and it didn't help that her mind was jumbled up a bit. She had met someone named "Fuji" a few years back and knew her as her (Hoshi) older brother's friend from school. It was only a single, quick meeting, but she remembered it since it was one of the only times she spoke with her oldest brother.

The four spectators waited in anticipation as they saw the two fighters appear.

* * *

As Mei got teleported to the battle field, she started thinking about how the fight would go down. She planned for almost everything. She calculated every even and every odd that may occur during the fight. She thought of every single move she would make and every move her current opponent would make.

She looked down at her own personal Trigger and saw the gauge that was on the palm of her hand. Unlike every other personalized Trigger, her's was a special one which consisted of gloves and combat boots. This special Trigger was made after analyzing a single aspect of the Black Trigger known as Shikifuku - the Black Trigger owned by her teacher. The ability of that one aspect was more than enough to show why Mei was, and is, a ferocious fighter who most respect.

She turned to face Kushikage again and could see the same smug look that was always there mocking her. To Mei this woman has always been one of the biggest obstacles she's had to face with full force. She was never one to hold back in the first place, but she also wasn't one to go all out right from the start. That being said, against this single opponent she felt very weak. It had always been like this ever since her first loss.

Deciding it was better to shove those thoughts to the back of her mind, Mei got ready to the fight. Just as she did though she noticed something...off with Kushikage. It wasn't so much the woman herself as it was the weapon she had. Unlike the regular Kōgetsu Mei was use to, the weapon Kushikage wielded was a broadsword that looked like it took an insane amount of Trion just to bring out.

Deciding on a good path, and 500 back-up plans, Mei changed her stance and stood up straight. She hopping up and down as the count down came to its final numbers. She continued to hop as she tightened her fists.

 **DOOOOON!**

Just as the count down reached zero Mei rushed forwards at a high speed with her feet barely touching the ground yet giving her more than enough power to continue that fast pace.

Kushikage brought up her large sword to block any attack, but noticed a slight movement from Mei's fleets and quickly moved to blade to her back just in time to block a kick aimed for her head. She took a smug glance back before swatting Mei away and turning around and lifting her leg just in time for Mei to run into it via Teleport.

Mei jumped back as a cube of Trion appeared and shot out multiple shots. She saw the shots being block but also causing an explosion along with it. She looked at the palm of her hand quickly before looking up and teleporting just in time to dodge a ranged slash from the other.

Placing a Grasshopper right behind her, Mei shot forward to try and land a punch. The initial attack was easily dodged, but Kushikage had to block the debris that came when Mei smashed into the ground and destroyed it.

Using the distraction to her advantage, Mei sped forward again and let out a barrage of kicks and punches. Each bit was either blocked or dodged, but she could see part of the broadsword start to break apart. Taking another quick look at her palm, Mei gave a small nod and reeled her fist back and...

 **BOOM!**

Kushikage went flying through the air and slammed through multiple buildings with a trail of destructin following her.

Mei looked back down to see the gauge back to 0% and sighed when she saw Kushikage walking back up to her with a grin and a hilt in her hand. She narrowed her eyes at the hilt and used Teleport to try to land a hit again, but was blocked by a much smaller blade.

The blade coming from the hilt was no longer a large broadsword that looked like it took a large amount of Trion just to bring out but a long, thin blade with a sharp tip - otherwise known as a rapier.

Finally taking the initiative, Kushikage pushed Mei back forward rushing forward with a grin. She started stabbing with the rapier and moved fast enough to where Mei started losing focus and received multiple injuries around her body.

Using more strength, Kushikage pushed Mei back before spinning and going for a slash as the rapier turned back into a broadsword and sent Mei flying. Grinning to herself, Kushikage let her guard down a little bit.

This was a wrong move.

 **BOOM!**

Kushikage moved to the side as Mei appeared behind her and took off her arm. She quickly spun and tried to land a kick on Mei, but the younger girl was gone again and appeared by her sword and got another hit on her, making her fly back again.

Getting up from the debris, Kushikage looked around her body and noticed something on her leg. It looked like some sort of emblem and let out a small sigh. She brought up her blade and sliced her leg off for it to be replaced with a Scorpion.

Understanding everything she wanted to, Kushikage let out a sigh and got ready to finish the fight. She knew how far she could push the other now and wasn't happy at all from the end results she was seeing. This was nowhere near what she had thought and was overly disappointed with Mei.

Before she could do anything else, she saw a shadow appear above her. He looked up with a bored expression, but went wide eyed when she saw cold eyes looking right at her and started to fall slight for her. She dodged the attack and used Grasshopper to escape the blast that came through the smoke.

Now in the air, she got ready for a counter attack, but went wide eyed when she noticed multiple shots coming after her. She recognized them as a Tomahawk and placed Grasshoppers all around and moved through the air as each plate to destroyed by the shots. If that wasn't bad enough she saw a whole wall from a building flying at her with Mei now in the air as well and using the Grasshoppers to try and land another hit on her.

Having enough, and being happy that she got to see this side again, Kushikage went even higher into the air and brought her sword up. She made a slashing motion diagonally then horizontally, making a cross-like slash going to the ground and destroying both the Grasshopper and Tomahawk in the air.

 **BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!**

Smoke filled the air as a large portion of the ground was missing.

Kushikage saw the Bail Out she was waiting for and took her own leave with a grin.

* * *

Mei looked down with her fists clenched as Kushikage looked down at her with a smug look.

She hated the feeling she had right now. Not only did she lose _again_ , and not only does she have to abide by their agreement, she let out something she didn't want other to see. Her true destructive side that only a few people knew about.

She didn't say anything and simply turned around before storming away. She could hear two set of footsteps following her and didn't even need look to know that both Murakami and Yuki were following her and trying to talk to her.

It was embarrassing. Having lost when _she_ was the one who made the challenge was definitely embarrassing to her. With her Side Effect she knew it was better if she talked to the two behind her, but she couldn't bring herself to turn around and speak to them. She wanted some time alone, but that would take her to a dark place that only one person could bring her out of.

That one person who was able to bring her out would have to work hard to get her out of her own thoughts, but he would do it regardless. She didn't want that at all. She didn't want him to help her out that much again and that was the hidden motive to challenging Kushikage to a fight. She wanted to show that she had grown stronger mentally.

But now she felt like a child who was being looked down by adults.

"Mei! Hold up!"

"Senpai, it's fine."

"Mei! Hey! Wai- Urg! Fuji! Hold up for a second!"

"What!? You already know what's gonna happen!"

"Exactly! Stop being an idiot!" Yuki let out a sigh as he shook his head. "You lost again. So what?"

"You know she-"

"You didn't notice it, did you?" Murakami stayed calm as Mei turned to look at him. "You two have similar Triggers."

"What are you talking about? She had that-"

"You didn't notice since you were busy trying to get passed her, but Kou is right. Your Trigger and her's look different, but they have the same effect. They both use large portions of their user's Trion supply to deal quick or powerful blows. They also both have the ability to chip away at Trion from other's and use it to conserve Trion usage for their user."

"That's why she had that large sword that seems to change the type it is."

"I...really didn't notice that..." Mei looked down and took a breath before walking over to the wall.

Both watched as she did this. They both had a pretty good guess as to what she was going to do, but didn't bother to stop her.

 **BAM!**

Just as expected, she slammed her forehead against the wall with all of her might. When she pulled away there was a large red mark on her head, along with some blood, but that didn't seem to actually effect her in the slightest.

Letting out another sigh, Yuki walked up to her and wiped the blood off her forehead and face before patting her head. While he knew he should have stopped her he didn't for the fact it was her thing to do when she needed to straighten herself out.

"Now that Senpai is better, I'll be heading off."

"Who are you calling Senpai?"

"Ah. Right. Mei."

"Hm. Don't forget it again or I'll have Suzume get some dirty things on you."

"Right."

"See ya, Kou."

The two waved to their friend as they started walking away. They didn't have much of a destination in mind, but were fine with that. They hadn't finished up their conversation in the first place.

"Hey, hey, Mei. Can I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"Well...I noticed you used the special Teleport in that fight..."

"Yeah. And?"

"Are you perhaps...trying to copy me?"

 **BAM!**

"Okay! Okay! I was just kidding! Seriously! If you land one of those punches I'll end up in the hospital again!"

"It would serve you right."

Yuki let out a sigh as he shook his head. He did find this side of Mei a little endearing, but didn't like the violence that came along with it.

"By the way... Did you see their last match?"

* * *

QOTC - Favorite female character?

* * *

 **Okay! So I** ** _really_** **don't blame you if you don't like this chapter or fight! I had planned for the fight to be longer and have more destruction, but I forgot almost everything I had planned! *bows* I am sorry for this awkward and short chapter!**

 **With that being said and done, I should give you the reason for the chapter being short. That reason is because next chapter, and maybe the next one, will be special(s). Meaning they'll be longer than my regular chapters.**

 **That's all. Until next time! Bye!**


	27. (Tsukiko) Squad: Part (8)

***hides under bed* This chapter is so embarrassing... Please forgive me... And please don't laugh...**

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own World Trigger. Tsukiko Squad is owned by Awesome Sauce, Minoru and Taka are owned by Yujonokage and Shor Squad is owned by Zazaza gogo da.

* * *

(Tsukiko) Squad: Part (8)

* * *

Awkward.

That one word was how most looking from the outside would describe what they were seeing. Not like they were wrong, but none of them had the guys to say it out loud. To them it seemed like a mother taking her three children home after finding out they had gotten in trouble. This also fit, in some weird way.

Mei calmly walked in front of the three "children" as they each followed with different expression. Toby had something that seemed to compliment his "foreign delinquent" look with his hair actually being completely down and seeming to cast a shadow over his glaring eyes. Takeshi seemed calm, yet his was what was creeping people out. His eyes seemed like they were dead and didn't actually care enough to even glance at them. Suzume was the only other one who seemed to look like her regular self. It seemed like she was spacing out more than anything.

The three younger ones could hear the whispering going on around them, but tried to ignore it to the best of their ability.

They had been called by Mei to discussion something about their next match, and even if they didn't feel like being around each other, they all knew _not_ to go against Mei. So they did as told and met up with her. They found it a little odd since she seemed to allow them to do as they pleased. It wasn't turning out well.

Before, during and after their recent match, both Suzume and Toby hadn't spoken to Takeshi, but okie to each other for a bit. They didn't ever really seem mad at each other and actually tried to come up with some strategies with Mei, but otherwise kept away from each other most of the time.

Takeshi on the other hand seemed to have gone completely mute. Whether Karasuma greeted him, or Kitora asked him a question, he would simply turn or walk away as if the little words didn't even enter his ears. His eyes seemed to be dull, but they also held what looked like thoughtfulness in them. But _not_ in a good way.

'I was hoping it wouldn't come to this, but...' Mei took a glance around and let out a sigh. She quickly covered her mouth and whispered, "Opps... Maybe I _am_ starting to get like him..."

"Mei-san, what is the real reason for you calling us?"

Looking back, Mei saw Takeshi looking directly at her with the same cold, dull eyes he's been having on. She didn't falter in the slightest and met the stare with one of her own. She knew how to handle each of the three and this was no different.

"Ah. I suppose I should have expected you to figure out," she said calmly as she continued to walk. "Well, you see... We figured it was about time you all got your asses kicked in the most violent way possible. Dang! Now I'm starting to sound like _her_..." Shaking her head with a sigh, Mei didn't bother to turn around. "This is getting out of hand."

"Wait, wait, wait! What do you mean 'it was about time [we] got [our] asses kicked'!? Like hell I'll get my ass kicked!" Toby didn't hold anything back in his yell and started to turn around. "Like hell I'm gonna stay here then."

"Oh? I would have thought you three would be delighted to have a go at fighting me."

Hearing the familiar voice, Toby froze, Takeshi slightly narrowed his eyes and Suzume simply kept quiet.

"What? No greeting for your former Captain? I thought we raised you better than that."

"Hey now, you're making it sound like they're out children."

"But isn't it like that?"

Quickly turning around, Toby ran forward and tried to punch Yuki in the face, but was stopped when his fist was grabbed with ease. He tried to push forward, but to no avail. He pulled back and started to storm away when he was grabbed by the color of his shirt and started to be dragged away. He was complaining and thrashing about - like a child - and didn't see the looks he was receiving.

Deciding it was best just to follow, both Takeshi and Suzume followed.

"By the way, Mei, who are their opponents in the next match?"

"That would be Tsukiko Squad and Shor Squad."

"I see..."

The two behind watched as the two oldest ones continued to talk as if absolutely nothing happened. As if the squad hadn't disbanded. As if Yuki didn't hurt them.

Takeshi seemed to just glare at the back of Yuki's head as if he was trying to kill the older one with his look. If I was anyone else with a weak will then they would have fainted at just _feeling_ like the look was directed at them, but Yuki didn't even seem to notice that look.

"Why are you here?"

"Huh? Because I'm a Border agent as well."

"You know what I mean."

"Hm? Mei didn't tell you three? I'm here to kick your asses."

Takeshi was actually silent after this. He didn't think the other would be so blunt about it. He was also confused about the slight cockiness in the other's tone, but didn't dwell too much on it. His mind went straight into battle mode and tried to find a way to destroy Yuki completely.

* * *

After making it to their destination, Mei threw the three B-Rankers into the virtual room as Yuki calmly walked in. She made her way to the computer and got everything ready.

While in the room, scratched his head, already in his trion body, and let out a sigh as he looked at the three. He had a general idea how all of this would turn out, so he didn't really feel like using his time there.

"So are you three going to hurry up or are you just gonna stall for time?"

"Huh?"

"Get your Triggers out so we can start."

"Why-"

"You three verses me. I saw your first match and heard about the second. Clearly you three need a good ass kicking since you all can't seem to figure simple things out."

"What are you ta-"

"Trigger on."

They all turned to Takeshi, who was now also in his trion body, and gave him an uncertain look. They were more worried about him attacking them then having to fight their former captain.

"If you two aren't going to fight then get out of the way. I'm in a hurry here."

Deciding it would be better to just get it done, the other two also got their Triggers out. They watched as the scenery around them turned from a plain room to a darkened forest area. They wondered why this particular area was chosen, but still got ready for a fight.

"You three have one minutes to scatter and try and get me," Yuki said with a casual stance. "We're done when you can _land one single hit on me_."

This seemed to rile the three up. They knew how strong Yuki could be, but the way he was sounding made them get extremely mad. They hadn't known him to be anywhere near cocky, so this was shocking to them.

Regardless of what they were thinking, when the timer started they ran off while putting on their Bagworm and getting ready to attack when the timer reached zero.

For his part, Yuki just stood there and let out a sigh. He thought of the idea Mei had in order to get them back on track and couldn't help but find some flaws in it. He knew she was really trying to help them, and so was he, but he couldn't help to think of everything that could go wrong.

"Sigh... And of course she'd pick _this_ area..."

Letting out yet another sigh, Yuki got ready for the attacks that would come at him.

Seeing that no time was being wasted, he easily dodged the three beams coming from the trees and the single shot fired from them as well. He was easily able to weave through the beams as they increased to five and more shots were fired.

He saw something moving through the trees and moved to the side as Toby landed next to him. As casually as walking, Yuki spun on his heel and landed a solid kick to Toby's head as he moved from his feet to his hands and flipped back to not get hit by any long range attacks.

He saw Toby get back up and quickly teleported up to the brunet and tapped him on the head with his palm before landing another kick that sent the younger one flying. Seeing that the beams weren't stopping in the slightest, Yuki turned in the direction they were coming from and hopped into the trees.

He easily weaved through the trees as well as any monkey could while he dodged the laser-like beams that mowed down the trees. He knew exactly how to deal with the beams coming at him and easily found one of the orbs letting out the attacks.

He pulled out a Scorpion and timed his counter just right. As a beam headed straight for him, he was gone and right under it. He threw the Scorpion at the orb and watched as it exploded and moved the trees. He saw two more and repeated the actions. Knowing that they could easily be made again by the Shooter, he quickly made his way to the gray haired teen.

Seeing his former captain coming at him, Takeshi made more orbs appear, but cursed when he couldn't move them fast enough to get his target. He jumped from the tree he was on just in time to dodge some shots that were fired at him.

Thinking he could get away with Teleport, he turned around just in time to see a hand headed for his face. He was fast enough to duck up the grab, but felt a pat on his shoulder before he got a knee to the face, making him reel back and the orbs to disappear.

He got ready to make more when a shot from a distance barely missed him and hit the tree behind him. He looked up to see Yuki gone. Takeshi slammed his fist on the ground before five orbs appeared by his head.

Yuki let out a sigh as he followed where the shot was coming from. He knew the female agent wouldn't be in the same spot she fired from, like her gray haired teammate, but he also knew her patterns and where she would go from there.

When he saw some movement not too far off he knew he was right and went faster in the direction the movement was made. He could see her on the ground as she tried to hide from him. When he reached her current location he noticed that no one was there.

This trick didn't fool him though.

He quickly turned around and lifted his knee in time to move Suzume's hand up so that her Hidden Stringer couldn't reach it's target. Seeing that she was no off balance, he gave her back a pat before lifting his leg again and kicking her forward.

* * *

From her spot at the computer, Mei could only watch as Yuki seemed to play around with the three younger ones. He didn't seem to be taking them seriously in the slightest - as shown when he had multiple chances to get any vial spots or even bring out Idōgetsu.

She let out a sigh as he easily dodged another attack. She had already done the calculations for how this whole thing would turn out and found that it had a 10% chance of succeeding and a 90% chance of failure. Even with that knowledge she still believed this would work and continued to watch on with calculating eyes.

While she did want to help the three younger ones, she couldn't help but notice something about Yuki. His current way of fighting and his causal appearance while doing so reminded her of when he first started off and would toy with his opponents instead of actually taking them on.

"But still..." She let a smile grace her lips as she watched her best friend dodge multiple attacks. "We finally closed the cover to our second volume."

Nodding to herself, Mei got ready for any and all secarios that would be coming after all of this was done. Not only that, but she somewhat looked forward to all the work that would possibly be ahead of her in the future.

* * *

They were frustrated. No. That wasn't the correct word. They were **astonished.**

Takeshi, Suzume and Toby couldn't believe how this was turning out. They were quickly running out of Trion at the moment, were full of cuts and missing parts and have yet to land _a single hit_.

They figured it wouldn't be too hard since they knew how Yuki fights along with his strengths and weaknesses, but that wasn't the case. Each time they tried to exploit those weaknesses or little habits he would count them and deliver a good hit on them. What made it worse was that he only ever brough out Scorpion - the only other Trigger he was using besides Teleport - when he needed to block attacks or destroy one of the orbs by Takeshi.

"You three done yet? I'm super bored now," Yuki said with a small yawn. "Take me on individually or take me on as a team, either way you will lose."

"Why you..."

"Hm? I thought you all enjoyed some training with me. Must have been wrong."

'This doesn't count as training...'

"I suppose as your former Captain I could give you all a hint or two." Putting his hands behind his head, Yuki look a glance at the general direction the three would be in. "You can't beat me, or join me unless you are a team full of aces.

'A...team of aces?'

"While the four of us were still a squad I was both the Captain and ace. That being said, what ace was I?"

'What ace...?'

"I'd think the Ace of Spades. So what's missing? The aces of hearts, of diamonds and of clovers. When you three can properly fill those spots..." seeming to be looking directly at them he continued, " _Then I will stop seeing you three as little brats."_

The three went wide eyed when he disappeared from their sight without a trace. They easily recognized it as Teleport, but it seemed different to them. Even so, they got ready to defend themselves from the attack. That is until...

"Where are you looking?"

Yuki appeared right above Toby with a bored look in his eyes. He saw the brunet look up, but knew that he had already won this part. He was determined to show the three something, but at the same time he wanted to just get some frustration out.

Yuki grabbed Toby's head and proceeded to knee him in the face just before a blade come from his knee, running right through the younger one's head.

 **Bail Out.**

Not wasting any time, he quickly appeared above Takeshi just as three orbs moved around and was easily able to slice off his head before any counter could be made.

 **Bail Out.**

Already knowing where his last target was, he appeared behind Suzume and stabbed her right in the chest with no mercy.

 **Bail Out.**

Yuki stood alone in the area as he let out a sigh. He knew he went a little overboard with the last attacks, but really didn't seem to care. If anything, he seemed rather bored and a little irritated then anything else.

He waited for the three to be teleported back in and got ready. He was disappointed that he hadn't been able to use Idōgetsu yet, but knew that he would only be allowed to use it when the other three had fit the requirements for him to do so.

After being told the three had been sent in he moved his upper body to dodge the beams aimed for him yet again. He figured what was coming next, but was shocked when multiple shadows appeared above him.

'Heavy Rain.'

Smirking to himself a little Yuki looked to the side to use Teleport, but received another surprise when Toby was right in front of him with a Scorpion only a few inches away from his face. He was quick enough to use his Side Effect and copy that move in time to block, but had to teleport again to dodge the Viper-beams heading for him.

He jumped up to dodge another beam and saw a fast moving shot heading for him. He didn't have much time to move around and soon didn't have much room either from the beams coming from the air and ground. He had managed to barely dodge the attacks and land on one of the trees.

He used the branch he was on to jump back as Toby came forward and cut the branch he was on. He had only a few seconds before the next branch was destroyed by a last-like beam. As he landed on the ground he hid behind one of the trees only for a small hole to appear and a shot to barely missed his head.

Deciding it would be better get a good few at where exactly his current opponents were, he ran through the trees yet again until he came across a large opening. There was a plain field with low grass and no trees to obscure his vision.

He ran out to the other side and quickly turned around to see Toby and Takeshi standing there with one holding a blade and the other with orbs around his head. He couldn't come up with anything to say so he simply gave a small smile.

"Are you three finally ready?"

"Of course. We've always been ready."

"Good."

Yuki pulled out a Scorpion blade in one hand and grabbed the hair covering his eye with the other. He lifted the hair and in one quick motion cut it off before bringing out Idōgetsu with a grin on his face.

The other two visibly got ready to what was to come and were determined to get that single strike in.

* * *

Mei couldn't help the (almost motherly) smile that came to her face as she watched the new fight begin. Both sides were going all out yet there was a massive sense of comradery between them. This was exactly what she wanted to see.

 _"Damn! This is seriously pissing me off!"_

 _"I didn't know he was actually this strong..."_

 _"Honestly... I'm not sure what to do."_

 _Mei let out a small sigh when she saw how the three were reacting to their current situation. She really wanted to tell them, but felt that they needed to figure this out themselves. So she kept quiet._

 _He wasn't even sure if they would figure out the answer, but she was giving them one final chance before she decided whether to leave them as well or not. She didn't know-_

 _"Screw it! Takeshi, get that damn brain working! I don't even care if I'm the bait, I just wanna kick his ass now!"_

 _Now Mei was just shocked enough to where she couldn't even be sure if she heard that right. When she took another look at the three she saw that they didn't seem to really change, but when she looked in their eyes she saw what had gone missing._

 _She smiled to herself as she heard the conversation go on. It seemed that the plan hadn't worked out exactly as planned, but it worked nevertheless. They were determined to beat this single obstical in their way and didn't care if they themselves lost as an individual._

 _"Alright! Mei-san, can you please send us back in!"_

 _"This time Senpai won't know what hit him."_

 _"Yeah!"_

 _Doing as told, she gladly sent them in and watched as they easily started backing Yuki in a corner one step at a time._

She just continued to watch with fascination and interest as Yuki escaped every corner he was backed into while at the same time running into a new one. It was just a game of cat-and-mouse with the roles now reversed.

After a few more minutes the final blow had been landed. The three had Bailed Out again, but...

"They got a single hit in at the very end..."

She heard the four walk back in and couldn't help herself. She swiftly got up and got them all in a literally bone crushing hug. None of them could say anything for lack of air, but Yuki simply patted her back while Toby and Suzume grinned.

After finally letting them go (and breath), she saw that the almost suffocating awkwardness over them was gone now and replaced with the suffocatingly nice atmosphere that had been there prior to the disbandment.

"Glad to see you three are back to be the little turds I know so well," Yuki said as he patted Takeshi and Toby's head. "You three looked like disgusting turds before. At least now you dolled up a bit."

"Hehehe! Thanks, Yuki!"

"Senpai, if I may as a question," Takeshi said, looking up at the other. "What's with the change of personality?"

"Huh? I've always been like this. Just not around you lot," Yuki said as he went over to take a seat. "Actually I've been holding back for quite a bit."

"So you figured out that it was time for "Volume 3" too, huh?"

"Yeah~ I'm kinda glad too."

"What are you two talking about?" Suzume asked as they all moved to take their seats.

"Aw right, we haven't told them yet." Standing up, Yuki grabbed a pair of scissors and satarted to cut the hair from his eye, shocking the three younger ones. He did so until his eye was visible, but his hair was still leaning towards the left and just above his eye. "Name's Taiyōko Yuki. Nice to meet you."

* * *

"You're an idiot."

"What a harsh thing to say. I feel hurt."

"'When you three can properly fill those spots...Then I will stop seeing you three as little brats.'

You just wanted to sounds like some cool manga protagonist."

"Wah~~! It didn't sound cool!?"

Mei let out a sigh as she ate some of the tangerine in her hand. It was now an hour or so after the fight and makeup of the squad and solo agents and both Mei and Yuki were just idling around and passing the time.

After telling the three the story Mei had told Takeshi, both Toby and Suzume showed obvious shock and more admiration for the two, before teasing them like crazy. Takeshi on the other hand seemed to just stay quiet, but if one looked hard enough they could see hardcore admiration in his eyes.

"I really can't believe Suzu was bold enough to ask you to be her mentor in front of those two," Yuki said with a small laugh as he ate some of his ice cream.

"Says the one who took Takeshi as a student and directed Toby towards _him_ of all people."

"Hey! I also suggested Minrou!" Sitting back with a huff, Yuki looked to the side with a small pout. "If anyone can help him then it's those two."

"I suppose you're right. No matter how much I hate to say it, "he" is best suited to Toby out with his fighting." Mei let out a small sigh as she finished up her snack. "What are you even planning in teaching him?"

"I'm gonna drill the basics back into his head."

"Isn't that kinda useless?"

"Nah. I've got this covered." Taking a look at the ceiling, he continued with, "I'm just shocked _he_ was the one who asked me to be his mentor. I thought he'd still be salty about the whole thing."

"Oh yeah, I've gotten complaints saying that he seems like he's gonna murder someone."

"Then I guess I gotta fix that as well," Yuki said with a sigh. "Oh. By the way, what was that deal you made with Kushi? What did you have to do?"

Being surprised by this question, Mei had started choking on her tangerine and pounded in her chest until it went down. He looked at Yuki with a blush on her cheeks while the words came back to her mind. The more she thought about it the more her face would go red.

Seeing his friend's face go red, Yuki got ready to run out of the room. While he knew never to mess with an angered Mei, he _and_ his instincts knew to run, and maybe even yell for help, from an _embarrassed_ Mei. Knowing this would end badly real quick, he made a mad dash for the door.

"G-gotta go! I just remembered I need to have a contest with Hanzaki! See ya!"

As he quickly ran down the hall while tripping and stumbling, he didn't notice the strange looks he was getting.

 **BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!**

Everyone the heard these noises jumped at least two feet in the air and wondered if a Neighbor had gotten into the base. These _very loud_ thumping sounds continued on with everyone keeping a far distance from the direction.

If one were to be brave enough to end the room then they would see Mei smashing her fists and head into multiple objects and even the wall with a large amount of red on her face.

* * *

"Hey, did you hear about those weird sounds?"

"Yeah! I heard everyone was really scared that some sort of monster had appeared in the base."

Suzume raised an eyebrow when she heard all the continuous whispers about some loud noise. She hadn't heard anything yet so she didn't seem to know what they were talking about.

Regardless, she continued to make her way to her destination. She knew she would hate doing this with such a passion that she may even go back on it, but she knew that it was the best course of action at the time.

She was really good to have everything back to the way it was before the disbandment and was glad that Mei was willing to be her mentor, but she also knew that something needed to he done about a certain issue she keeps running into.

While she was extra thankful to Mei, she had only asked for help in her Attacker side and even asked for help as a Gunner. She had decided she would become an All-Rounder that leans more towards a Sniper. That being said, she felt that asking Mei for help in the Sniper department wouldn't help as much as she would want, so she decided on something else. She would seek help from the one single person who could help her best.

Some may have called her masochistic if they knew she was going to see this person for help, but she didn't care right now she only cared about asking-

"Narasaka! Please be my mentor!"

All the attention in the area went straight to Suzume as she said this. Everyone stared on woth wide eyes. Most if them knew either Suzume or Narasaka and knew that the two got along as well as fire and water. So seeing Suzume bow her head and ask him for help made some wonder if the apocalypse was coming soon.

"No."

"Please!"

"No!"

"Why not!?" Now Suzume quickly stood up straight with a glare in her eyes.

"Because I don't want to," the A-Rank Sniper said with a wave. "Why dint you go ask Satori?"

"Because you are honestly the best suited for this," Suzume said while grinding her teeth. She hated doing this in front of people, but she had no choice. "So I'm asking you again... Please be my mentor, Narasaka...san."

Meanwhile, on the other side of the table Narasaka was sitting at, Kodera watched with wide and worried eyes as the two went on. While he was amazed by the whole scene, he was worried for the reason why Suzume was asking for help in sniping. And Narasaka of all people!

He was one of the people who knew best how these two would literally claw at each others throats if given the chance, so he wasn't sure how those would work if his senpai had actually agreed.

"Um... Misaki... Why are you asking for help?" Kodera asked, making the two turn to him. "You're plenty skillful yourself, so I don't see why you need help."

"Thanks for the compliment, but..."

"She wants to be able to actually shoot her target."

Kodera was confused now. He had seen Suzume shoot her target multiple times during practice and even got shot by her during the field training. She was never near the lower, or even middle, parts of the ranking when it came to sniping.

"I don't..."

"Her "Stinger" and her use of Heavy Rain are proof enough," Narasaka said while Suzume seemed to tense up. Her "Stinger," as everyone calls it, is a smaller than average shot using Lightning. The reason it's a small shot is because if it was a bigger one then she would most likely miss her target. She uses Heavy Rain to trap her opponent in a range and makes sure she can get a hit. In reality her accuracy isn't that great. Average at best."

"That's exactly why I'm honestly asking for you help! Ken-kun would most likely go easy on me when I mess us and others think I'm already too good! You're not like that though! You know _exactly_ how bad I am and you won't go easy!"

"How many times do I have to tell you? When I say no I mean it." Narasaka finally took a look up to glare at Suzume. "Your style of fighting, of sniping, gets me mad to the pint of wanting to hit something. You swing around the Triggers uses for sniping around like they are toys and find pride in that. You being a pseudo-Attacker is fine and all, but you have too much pride in something that any other Sniper wouldn't."

"Tell me something you haven't already said! Whenever you see me you just go on and on about how you hate my way of fighting! It's getting old!"

 **SCREECH!**

"Fine then! I hate you as a person! You are the type of girl I hate! You go at your own pace most of the time and disregard what others think until they scream it in you face! You get upset over the slightest things that are pointless! And let's not forget how your "Stingers" are filled to the brim with all that venom!"

"Venom...?"

"..."

"Nothing to say. Of course."

"... You're right... Everything you just said is completely accurate..."

Everyone watching just stared as Suzume hid in the shadow of her hair and went to the table just behind Narasaka. They saw her pick up the knife that was there and gather up her hair.

Narasaka and Kodera went wided eyed.

 _"Mei-san, is this a picture of you then?"_

 _"Hm? Oh. Yes, it is."_

 _"Wow~~ You look so pretty with long hair."_

 _"Coming from you, that's a major compliment. Thank you."_

 _"Hehe~ You're welcome."_

 _"..."_

 _"..."_

 _"Yes?"_

 _"Sorry for asking, but this is honestly bugging me."_

 _"What is?"_

 _"Feel free not to answer, but why did you cut your hair?"_

 _"Oh..."_

 _"Ah! You don't have to answer if you honestly don't want to!"_

 _"No, no. It's fine... My reason for cutting my hair... What was is again?... Oh, right... It was because of a promise I made with Kiyo-... Yuki."_

"NARASAKA TŌRU, I* PROMISE, ON ALL OF MY PRIDE, THAT I WILL BECOME A GIRL THAT YOU WILL LIKE AND ONE YOU CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT!"

* * *

* Here Suzume switches the way she refers to herself from "Atashi" to "Boku."

* * *

"Sigh... That takes care of the fifth one..."

Takeshi let out a small groan as he looked at the paper in his hand. After he had asked Yuki to be his mentor he had been told that it would only be possible if he apologized to everyone he was rude to or scared during his little..."tantrum". He had reluctantly agreed to do so and left to get something before heading back to the base for his assignment.

Most people had been avoiding him, making his task harder and more irritating, so he couldn't help but to groan and sigh throughput the whole endevour. While he wasn't sure exactly how many people he would need to apologize to, both Yuki and Mei gave him a (long) list of people he was probably rude to.

Letting out another small sigh, he buried his face in the scarf around his neck as he noticed something. When he took a small glance up her noticed a few black strands of hair. While this was odd in absolutely no sense, he couldn't help but to wonder when exactly the hair dye he used started to come off.

Pulling out his phone he noticed that most of his hair had turned from being gray (due it the dye) to black. When he thought back on it he couldn't really remember why he had started to dye his hair, but now he didn't even feel like that was important. Another thing he noticed before was that he could now see more "color" than before.

'This is very odd...'

"Hey, it's not _my_ fault she started dissing me for no reason!"

"I know, I know. That doesn't mean you should let it get to you though."

Looking over, Takeshi saw two girls walking by. This wouldn't really have any meaning if it wasn't for the fact the two girls were from the same squad that happened to be one of his squad's opponents in the next match. No really knowing what came over him, Takeshi started walking towards them.

"Hello there, you two."

The two girls turned to look at Takeshi with confused looks. They knew he would be their next opponent, but had no idea as to why he was just walking up to them and giving them a greeting. They had their suspicions though.

"Hello..."

"Hey."

An awkward silence came over the three. The two girls weren't sure what to do while Takeshi continued to give his usual bored-like stare.

"As I'm sure you know, I am Kotowari Takeshi," the male said with a small bow. "It's nice to meet you."

"Not to sound rude, but what do you want?" one if the girls asked as she put a hand on he hip.

"I just wanted to give a greeting... Sorry. I'm not use to giving the first greetings..." Takeshi said rather awkwardly. If anyone were to see him know they wouldn't think they were actually looking at the same person who used laser-like beams as a Shooter.

"Well that's fine," the other girl said with her own small bow. "I am Asano Eri. It's nice to meet someone like you."

"Someone...like me?"

"She means how you're a Shooter, but use those lasers," the first girl said. "I'm Tsukiko Amaya, by the way. Maya works fine if ya want."

"R-right..."

"..."

"Yes?"

Eri looked at Takeshi with a thoughtful expression, making Takeshi and Maya give puzzled looks. She nodded to herself before getting a small smile on her face.

"You're different...in a good way." Seeing that the two were more puzzled than before, Eri gave a small laugh. "What I mean is that I've heard some rumors about you being rude, scary or just uncaring, but from what I see you look more like a kind kid, no offense."

"None taken..." That's when something came back to mind.

 _"You really are a good kid, Take."_

 _"Huh? Where did that come from?"_

 _"Nowhere particular. I just wanted you to know that."_

 _"Okay..."_

 _"Hahaha! Sorry if I sound odd or like an old man, but you seemed like you needed to hear this?"_

 _"Why do you say that?"_

 _"I know what happened Take, you've told me before. I can tell just by looking at you that you see "color" now. I guess this is what a proud parent feels like! Hahaha!"_

 _"..."_

 _"Don't bother with him, Takeshi. He's just crazy._

A small smile appeared on Takeshi's lips as he remembered what he had been told. He actually did feel like a kid who had been praised for his hard work. It showed on his face too, if the giggling was anything to go by.

"Let me get something straight," Maya said with a grin. "We're not planning on losing, so you better get ready for a hard fight."

"Don't worry," Takeshi said with his own smirk. "We'll show you just how strong we are. I* can guarantee that."

* * *

* Takeshi switches from "Ore" to "Watashi" here

* * *

Toby couldn't help but think of new ways to fight in the upcoming match. He had been told before by Yuki to go see two particular people for help since they were the "perfect people who can help" him with his style of fighting.

 _"Urg... I'd rather not mention this guy to you, but..."_

 _"Hm? What is it?"_

 _"Well... The fist person I can recommend is Minoru. He's definitely strong and can probably teach you quite a bit. As for the other person..."_

 _"As for the other person...?"_

 _"While you're an unknown genius, he's a genius among genius'. The 'sun child's corpse' with enough brains to rival Mei's Side Effect."_

 _"Wh-whoa..."_

 _"Tsk... My younger brother, Taiyōko Mukuro. He's an insomniac turd, but he's actually able to beat Minoru, who was able to go toe-to-toe with me and even get some wins..."_

 _"Wow... That's...amazing..."_

 _"But that turd has never gotten a win on either me or Fu- Ah... Mei! He's not so great!"_

Doing as suggested, Toby had gone to meet this Mukuro person and was surprised by how different he was from his older brother and younger sister. Once in a practice match though, Toby saw just how string he was and couldn't help but to be amazed.

Noticing something up ahead, he looked up to see Minoru just walking by with Taka right at his feet. Getting in his usual "run, jump and hope to not break any bones" stance, Toby started to run at top speed and got ready to jump when...

"(Big brother!)"

Seeing a smaller male suddenly appear in front of him, Toby tried to slow down and ended up tripping. He quickly fell victim to the laws of gravity and fell face first onto the ground. This seemed to grab the passing Minoru and Taka's attention as the two started heading for the fallen boy.

"(Ah! Big brother! Are you okay?)"

The little kid ran up to Toby and quickly helped him up. He looked worried as Toby rubbed his head. Before the little one could say anything though he was lifted into the air and was greeted with the smiling face of Toby.

"(Hey there, Step! How ya been, little guy!?)"

"(Hehehe! I've been good!)"

"Yo, Fuzzy head! You okay!?" Minoru asked as he reached the two. "That was some tumble you took there."

"I'm fine. This little guy got in my is all. Nothing to worry about," Toby said as he held his little brother in his arms.

"Hey, you're the guy I saw at Big brother's first match!" the kid said.

"Woof!"

"Puppy!"

"Hahaha! Calm down there, Step," Toby said as he put the kid down. "This is Minoru Hatohara and his pup, Taka."

"Yo. Nice to meet you, chibi Fuzzy head."

"It's nice to meet you too, Mr. Hatohara! I'm Stepney Awdry!" the now named Stepney said with a loud voice and a big smile.

"You're pretty energetic from the last time I saw you," Minoru said with a fond smile. When he saw the two siblings he couldn't help but to remember his own sibling.

"Oh yeah... That was because..."

Seeing the youngest one looking sad, Taka walked up and started licking his hand, making the kid giggle.

Being the other one who noticed the change in mood, Minoru looked at Toby to see a sad smile on his face as he looked at the two. He wasn't sure that he should be getting into others' business, but he felt like he needed to know what was going on as a fellow brother.

For his part, Toby was thinking about everything so far. From when he had run away to the current situation. He knew that his parents would be there soon to take his little brother back, but he really didn't want to see that. What made matters worse was that if he went too far against his parents it might effect his standing as a Border agent. He was a runaway after all.

"Hey, Fuzzy head. I heard from Loki that you wanted me to be your mentor and that you already went to go see Undead." Seeing the confused look from the younger one, Minoru gave a sheepish laugh. "I meant Mukuro."

"Oh. Yeah. We had a practice match and talked a bit."

"How'd that go?"

"Well..."

 _"Hey, idiot~~ You're an Attacker, but you lack what it takes~~"_

 _"What the-!? Hey! What do you mean by that!?"_

 _"You don't have an impregnable defense, an absolute attack power or even the speed that someone like Kuga does~"_

 _"Why you... Wait. You've seen Yuka fight?"_

 _"Of course I have~~ That being said... You have other things to make up for that."_

 _"Like...?"_

 _"What I'm saying is... Get rid of your defense. Lower your attack power. Slow down your speed."_

 _"How the hell will that help!?"_

 _"If you can control those and work with tricks that someone like Kiyo-nii uses... I'm positive you could give someone like Kitora a run for their money."_

 _"And how can you be so sure that'll work?"_

 _"Sigh... Didn't Kiyo-nii tell you anything...? Number 9."_

 _"Um... What?"_

 _"By the time your next match comes around, I'll make you into someone who can be at least the ninth strongest solo Attacker."_

 _"Why 9th? That seem odd."_

 _"Because_ _his_ _favorite number is 10, so if I make you number 9 then he'll probably get really~~ mad."_

"I see..."

Both of them were just at a lose for words. Neither actually knew how to respond to something like that, so they left it as it was.

As they were talking, neither noticed the two people who held themselves in high regard walking towards them. One being a tall man and the other being a woman who looked like she was perfect for the title "office woman."

"Stepney, what have we told you about running off on your own like that? And why are you touching such a dirty creature?"

Freezing in place, both Minoru and Toby started to get mad. They turned to see Henry Awdry and his wife Molly Awdry, otherwise known as Toby and Stepney's parents. They both felt mad for the same reasons. The first being that they had called Taka a "dirty creature" and the second being that they didn't even seem to care that they had just lost their child.

"Oh. You're here as well, Tobius. No wonder that dirty mutt is here," the woman said, not even looking at the brunet.

"Hello to you too, bitch," Toby said through grinding teeth.

"Address your mother with more respect, child," Henry said as he glared at Toby and walked closer to Stepney. "Now come on. We're leaving."

"If he wants to stay then let him, old man," Toby said as he stood protectively in front his brother.

"Why you..."

Raising his hand against his child for a second time, Henry was ready to slap Toby in the face, but was stopped when a hand was holding his wrist in a vice grip. Looking to the side, Henry saw Minoru glaring daggers at him.

"You dare to touch my husband, you ingrate? Really, what does Border teach their agents? Such rough barbarians," Molly said with a disgusted tone.

"You say that, but your husband here was about to smack his own child and a friend of mine. Like I would let him do that," Minoru said with his own teeth together.

"Oh honestly. You lot being so impulsive kinda tires me out. Jeez. Don't you know you shouldn't agitate a sick person?"

The group turned to see a familiar grinning fave walking towards them as casual as a walk through the park.

"Loki."

"Yuki!"

"And who might you be," the woman said, glaring at Yuki. 'This boy's presence just infuriates me..."

"'This boy's presence just infuriates me,' is what you're thinking, right?" Yuki said with a smirk. When he saw the woman go wide eyed his smirk increased. "I am _Taiyōko Kiyoshi._ Or as I go by these days, Taiyōko Yuki. It's _such a pleasure_ to meet you two."

"Taiyōko, huh? That explains why these two are such barbarians," Henry said as he pulled his arm away. "You lot are just animals only good as cannon fodder and shields."

"At least we don't hide behind riches and royalty like spineless cowards, such as yourselves."

"Really? From what I heard, you were the single child to be disowned. I don't want to hear this coming from you of all people, insolent brat. Now why don't you-"

"Hey! Don't talk to Loki like-"

 **BAM!**

Everyone went wide eyed at what they saw. While Minoru had his arm reeled back for a punch, it was Toby who had delivered the blow.

The brunet was shaking while looking at the ground. He tightened his fists even tighter as Molly went to check up on her husband.

"You damn brat! I will make sure that the higher up-"

"I don't care!" Toby looked up with such hate that it managed to give both Yuki and Minoru chills. "I didn't punch you as a member of Border! I punched you to make sure these two didn't get in trouble! I punched you as your 'damn brat'! This is between us!"

"Regardless-"

"Fine! Go tell anyone and everyone that I, _Toby,_ punched you! But don't you dare get these two in trouble! I don't care if I'm out of Border, these two, Suzume, Mei, Ai and even that jackass Take are more like family than you lot! So don't brag them into this!"

'Whoa...'

'This sense of pride...'

"Big brother..."

"Tsk. Stepney, come on. We're leaving. **Now**."

Seeing his parents start to leave, Stepney quickly got up, waved at the three and ran to catch up.

"Hey, Fuzzy head. You okay?" Minoru asked as he patted Toby's shoulder.

"Yeah..."

"Gotta say, that was a pretty awesome thing for you to say," Yuki said as he out something on the younger one's head. "You're definitely my favorite."

Seeing the sides of a familiar trapper hat next to his head, Toby smiled and quickly wiped his eyes. He turned to the two with an energetic smile and while he was bouncing. He gave a quick, "Let's go a few round!" before running off.

Minoru let out a sigh while Yuki let out a sigh and smile. They followed the younger one with the enjoyment of knowing that he didn't seem to change after all of that. They weren't sure how they would react if he changed right after coming back from his previous slump.

* * *

[Hello and welcome to the third round of the B-Rank Wars! Usami here and I'll be your color commentator today! Today with us is Kitora from Arashiyama Squad and Narasaka from Miwa Squad for extra commentary! Thank you for being here with us!]

[Right.]

[It's no problem.]

[So today we have the battle of Kotowari Squad vs Tsukiko Squad vs Shor Squad! What do you two think about this!?]

[I think it will be...interesting to see how this turns out. With Kotowari Squad back... No. Better than before, this will turn out to be a good match.]

[You probably heard that from Toby-kun, right?]

[...]

[And what about you, Narasaka?]

[This may he a little difficult for Tsukiko Squad since they are th only ones without a Sniper on their team, but I'm sure they will find a way around that.]

* * *

"We've got this, team! It doesn't matter what stage they chose or if find Prince's spot! We'll win this!" Noah, captain of Shor Squad, said as he tried to get his squad bumped up.

"Suzume-chan and Shay-chan may be Minubuki's rocker girls, but we won't let them win!" the Attacker-Gunner, rocker girl, Minubuki said as she threw her fist in the air.

"Just leave backup to me and So-bou," Fubuki, a girl who looked a whole lot like a guy, said with a grin. "Even if Suzume-chan comes at me with her Hidden Stinger, I'll be ready to fend her off and get rid of her."

"I'll do my best too," Sora, the squad's male operator, said with a determined look. "I won't let you down."

* * *

"Now remember, Misaki's Side Effect is good against close range fighters while Awdry's is good against long range fighters," Eri said as she looked at the other girls. "So it would be best if either Maya or Shay went against Awdry while I take out Misaki."

"You have to watch out for Kotowari too. His style can go all over the place," Kuni, the operator, added in. "I think it would be best to gang up on him and try to get Shor Squad to attack him as well."

"Maya, if you do go up against Toby then remember that he's an Attacker too, so of course he's gonna be good at close range fighting," Shana said, looking at her captain and friend.

"Yeah. If we do things right then we can score a good amount of points," Maya said with a nod. "Now let's show 'em what we've got!"

* * *

"You two know what to do, right?" Takeshi said as he looked at the other two.

"Of course. We're being watched by people important to us, so there's no way we're gonna lose," Suzume said as she fixed her single side ponytail.

"We've got this in the bag. No way am I going to lose to people from the same country as me," Toby said with a grin.

"Looks like there really is no need to worry anymore," Mei said with a smile. "Now put that hard work to good use and show everyone how much you've changed from your first match."

"Roger!"

* * *

[The area for this match has been chosen by Kotowari Squad since they have the lowest score among the three teams! Let's see what it is! Oh! This is an odd choice!]

[Forest Area. Not many teams use this one since when on duty they are in the city.]

[We'll just see how things okay out now.]

[It seems they are being teleported in now!]

 **Teleportation complete**

* * *

 ***still hiding* I hope you all enjoyed this special... Bye... Please don't laugh at how stupid this chapter was! Also, sorry Yujo, Sauce and ZGD if I messed up your characters! PLEASE FORGET YOU READ ANYTHING!**


	28. Kotowari Squad: Part 3

**And here is number 28! I apologize in advance for the way this one is written. I also apologize to Awesome Sauce and Zazaza gogo da if I mess up their Ocs. Now let's start!**

 **Disclaimer:** I don't know World Trigger and Tsukiko Squad, Shoru Squad and Minoru are owned by Awesome Sauce, Zazaza gogo da and Yujonokage respectively.

Warning: This chapter is all over the place

* * *

 **I'll give you something to help with the commentary.**

 **Narasaka**

 _Kitora_

Usami/Usami

* * *

 **Chapter 28:** Kotowari Squad: Part 3

* * *

 _"Ah! Misaki, what are you doing!?"_

 _Ignoring her friend, Suzume continued to stare straight at Narasaka with a fire in her eyes. She knew that there were tons of whispering around them as this went on, but she ignored that as well._

 _For his part, Narasaka let out a sigh as he shook his head. He turned back to Suzume with a small huff and chopped her head. He did this at least four more times as she continued to tell him to stop and the onlookers just stared blankly._

 _"You idiot. I may not be Satori, but I can say for sure you looked better with long hair," Narasaka said with another sigh. "Honestly... It's a wonder how Tsukiko puts up with you."_

 _"Hey, that's my line! And what the heck!? After all that you comment on_ my hair _!?"_

 _"I guess it's fine though. It at least shows your serious about this." Looking Suzume in the eye, Narasaka got a very faint smile on his face. This turned into him looking down at her with a superior grin. "Alright then. I'll be your mentor."_

 _"Ye-"_

 _"_ But! _You have to do everything I say."_

 _"Um..."_

 _"Alright. I suppose that's that then. Come on, Shohei. Let's get-"_

 _"F-fine!"_

 _"Hm. Good. Then let's start by you yelling out 'Narasaka-sama is the best Sniper ever and I won't ever be as good as him!' Got it?"_

 _"Wh-why you..."_

 _"I'm waiting."_

 _"...Sigh! Na-"_

"I hate him... I hate him... I hate him..."

Suzume continued to chant this as she quickly moved through the trees with her Bagworm on. She couldn't help but to remember what had occurred not too long ago and felt her blood start to boil. She did her best to calm down as she stopped on one of the branches and took a look around.

She couldn't see anyone around and no attacks seemed to be heading her way, but she wanted to be extra careful. She knew at least one person from the each opposing squad and knew how to fight against them, but still didn't know how to do against the other agents.

 _"Suzume, you're in a good spot. Tsukiko should be passing by you in a few seconds. Get ready to shoot."_

"Gotcha!"

Doing as she was told, Suzume crouched on the branch as she pulled out her Egret and aimed it at the spot she was told. Just as she was about to fire though...

Hearing a feint sound, Suzume jumped down from the branch as it got destroyed. She quickly turned around and brought up a guard to block the other attacks heading for her. She saw some movement in the trees and used Teleport to land on the branch.

She had to bring up her Scorpion to block a strike from a Kōgetsu. She put away her Egret and brought out a second Scorpion before moving her other arm forward to attack. She noticed some more movement and jumped back to dodge more shots.

"Nice combo, but..." Suzume smirked and moved to the side, "ours is better."

As Suzume jumped to the side, three laser-like beams shot forward, catching the two girls off guard. They tired to move away from the beams, but in the end they both received some sort of damage in the form of Maya losing a leg and Eri an arm.

They hide behind trees to dodge more of the beams, but had to move when they saw the beams headed for them again. They tried to get some distance with no progress being made as two shots were fired at them from two different directions.

'Dang! The second one found us!' Eri thought as he she set the course for her Viper.

* * *

[ **It'll be difficult for a Shooter like her to score any points while in the trees**.]

[That's right! For someone using Viper it'll be hard to find a good course when she can't even see her target!]

[ _Meanwhile Kotowari can mow down a tree if it gets in his way and the two Snipers seem to have a firm lock on their targets_.]

[ **There are two wide-open area next to the trees. If they can reach one of them then they'll have more control over the fight. But if the other's stay in the trees while they're out in the open then it will prove to still be a problem**.]

[There's also the other two from Shor Squad to look out for! They can both use long range as well!]

[ **Close range fights would be the best way for Tsukiko Squad to score any points.]**

"What's that brat doing? He's being upstaged by the others." Mukuro let out a sigh as he lazily watched the match go down. "I bother to take the time to teach him and he isn't even doing anything."

"Mu-nii? It's odd to see you here?" Hoshi said as she sat next to her brother and looked at the screen.

"Yeah, well... My lackey is in this match, so I though I'd watch it."

"Your lackey?"

"Awdry."

"Yeah. Loki asked the two of us to train him," Minoru said as he walked up to them with Stepney next to him. "Yo."

* * *

 _"You three need to remember to watch out for both Asano and Maya. Even though one is close range and the other is long range, people usually can't tell which one is the actual ace." Mei showed a recording of Tsukiko Squad in a match as the rest of the squad watched. "Asano uses Viper and can give Nasu a run for her money if she focuses enough."_

 _"I've met both Tsukiko and Asano before. Asano seems calm, but I can tell she's strategic as well," Takeshi said as he fixed his scarf. "I'm probably best suited to fight her. Some issues will come up if anyone from Shor Squad go against me though."_

 _"Well don't worry about Shay or No. Those two are mine," Toby said with a grin. "And I'm not just saying that for nothing either."_

 _"We know. It looks like it's hard for Lee to move around with that Trigger, but the damage it does isn't so light. On the other hand, Shor is very adaptable and quick to switch from offense to defense. Your quick moves and easy mobility is best suited for taking on both of them."_

 _"As per usual, I'll honestly deal with Fu-chan before she could get a good snipe on anyone," Suzume said as she tied her hair in a small tail._

 _"So that just leaves Shashin and Tsukiko..."_

'Whoever can get to Shashin and Tsukiko will be the one to hold them off until backup comes by or simply take them out on sight.' Takeshi let out a small sigh as he thought this. 'Of course I end up with one if them.'

Seeing some movement to his right, Takeshi out up a Shield and blocked the Viper heading for him. He heard some rustling and figured it was Maya circling around, so he commanded one of the laser-like beams to move around and shoot in the direction of the rustling.

'Mei-senpai, have the other two found their targets yet?'

 _"Suzume seems to have found Fu-chan and Toby seems to be getting closer to his two targets."_

'So no one has found Shashin yet... She can fight in both close and long range fights. We need to get her out now. The best way for that would be...'

* * *

'He's not letting up. I suppose this is to be expected from someone like him.' Eri continued to fire shots as she moved around to give her captain some room and not get hit by the laser-like beams. 'I have no time to focus. If I can't fire these I'm real time then we'll be worn down in no time.'

 _'Hey, Eri, switch to just a full out assault. I can keep away from the beams and keep his attention long enough for you to get some hits. It'll give you some time to focus.'_

'Alright, but don't you dare Bail Out on me. I'll really be in trouble then.'

 _'Sure thing.'_

Just as the two were about to go into action they saw that the orbs had changed from firing three beams each to firing one each as two more orbs appeared. They became more cautious but continued on regardless.

'The orbs are moving from all around to just his waist...' Going wide eyed, Eri ducked as she addressed her captain saying, "Get down!"

The fire orbs around Takeshi's waist fired two beams each that seemed to go far out. Just as it passed the two ducking on the ground regular shorts were fired from the beams, making the two girls go wide eyed and put up a quick Shield while they tried to escape.

 _'Is he crazy!? With that range he's gonna hit his own Sniper! Plus that looks like it takes up a crazy amount of Trion!'_

 _"The Trion part is right, but the radius of the attack is just short of Misaki,"_ the Operator, Kuni, told the two.

'He knew how far she was took into account where we were...'

* * *

[ _That's odd..._ ]

[ **What is?** ]

[ _Shooters can form their bullets into any way they want. It shows when Kako-san and Nasu are fighting, but Kotowari is the only Shooter who uses laser-like beams. He says he does this because his Trion supply is small, but in actuality it takes up more Trion to fire those beams._ ]

[ **I see. So not only does he fire those beams, but he just used it in a combo with regular shots. That much Trion consumption should be taxing to someone who has a small amount of Trion.** ]

[So not only has he been lying about how much Trion he has, but he has also been hiding a combo like this!? Amazing!]

[ _That's not all that's impressive. He was able to determine almost exactly where Misaki is and keep the beams just short of reaching her while still keeping the trees up for cover.]_

* * *

'Nice going there, Take!'

Suzume grinned as she saw the beam from up in a tree. She had been trying to find where her fellow Sniper was hiding, but every time she did fine the girl she would quickly be lost again.

Having enough of the hide-and-seek between the two, Mei put away her Lightning and brought out a pistol along with wrapping a Scorpion around her middle finger.

"Mei-san, would you honestly mind helping me out here? I'm just gonna get in a quick hit for all of this irritation I have."

 _"Alright. Give me a second... Alright. There's a 30% chance she's to your right, 25% chance she's to your left, 40% chance she's behind you and 5% chance she's hiding in a tree just in front of you."_

"Well the answer is obvious, now isn't it?"

Grinning to herself, Suzume brought up her pistol and fired three shots forward. They went stright for the tree before turning and going behind it. Seeing that she was right in her assumption, Suzume used Teleport to appear right in front of Fubuki and brought up her arm to strike with her Scorpion.

Not letting herself be beat like that, Fubuki put up a Shield and her own gun. She blocked the close range attack and fired some of her own shots. They were dodged, hit she didn't let up and fired Meteora, making some trees get destroyed.

Suzume used the falling trees as steps and moved back while she continued to fire shots. She felt odd shooting without her Lightning, but she didn't want to deal with Narasaka and even made a promise on it, so she just went with it.

Seeing that this back-and-forth would just easily turn into a battle of attrition, she jumped to one of the higher branches. She wrapped Scorpion around each finger now as she stared down at Fubuki and thought of a strategy.

'Let's see... Mei-san said she would use anything around to help her when fighting "her" so...'

Jumping down from the branch, Suzume purposely made herself more vulnerable. This worked just as she wanted as shots were headed for her. She used the Scorpion around each finger to grab an incoming branch and flip on it, letting her dodge the shots and speed towards her target.

She went to stab Fubuki, but missed. She didn't falter though and followed Fubuki closely, not giving an inch.

'Hey, So-bou, got anything to get out of this one?'

 _"She should be close by. If you can hold out for a little longer than you should be fine._ "

"Sigh... I suppose I don't have much of a choice..."

Deciding to listen to what the Operator said, Fubuki jumped back and contined to dodge hits and stabs from Suzume while she waited for her teammate to arrive. She knew that close range fighting was a sort of specialty for Suzume, so she didn't want to drag things out.

"Sorry I'm late~~! Minubuki-sama takes center stage!"

Suzume jumped back as a new opponent appeared. She didn't stop to take anything in though and rushed forward again with her Scorpion at the ready. They clashed with the Kōgetsu that was pulled from the sheath on Minubuki's back. Not being deterred for a second, she brought her leg up and landed a kick on Minubuki's side, sending her to the side. She went forward again at the shocked Fubuki and was able to get one of her arms.

Being close to Suzume, both Minubuki and Fubuki brought out their guns ans aimed for her, but both missed as Suzume moved as if she was dancing. She continued to dodge as she headed towards Fubuki and clashed with Minubuki.

* * *

[Even as she faces off with two formidable opponents, Misaki-tai isn't retreating and facing this head on!]

[ **That's nothing new. She's ways been like this and I doubt she's going to change any time soon. It is, in a sense, one of her better qualities though.** ]

[ _..._ ]

[...]

[ **Hm?** ]

"Go get 'em, Suzu-chan!"

"Satori, please calm down," Kodera said as he tried to calm Satori down.

"Hehehe~ Glad to see you are still rooting for her."

"Huh? Oh! Misaki-san! Hello!"

"Hello, Satori-kun, Kodera-kun," Seihana said as she took a seat next to the two. "I'm sorry. I hope you two don't mind if I sit here."

"Not at all."

"So you came to see your new and improved daughter?" Satori asked, looking at the woman.

"Yes. I was going to bring my other daughter but she caught a cold." Seihana turned back to the screen as she continued. "So how is my daughter doing?"

"She had to switch opponents with her teammate, Kotowari, and tried to take out Shoru Squad's Sniper, but that didn't seem to work," Kodera said, going over everything about Suzume. "She has to fight two agents from Shor Squad for the time being."

"I see..."

"He best bet would to be to try and retreat and wait for one of her other team-"

"You already know she won't," Satori said with a grin, cutting Kodera off. "She can take the both of them. After all, she's an awesome fighter."

* * *

'I need to at least take out Fu-chan before I Bail Out,' Suzume thought as she and her two opponents exited the trees to an open area. 'My job is to get rid of Snipers.'

She brought up a Shield to block more shots and brought up her arm to block a strike from Minubuki's Kōgetsu. She could see Fubuki in the back getting her gun ready for an attack. She knew she couldn't dodge that attack with the position she was in, so she made a decision.

Just before Fubuki could fire any shots, Suzume got rid of her Scorpion, allowing Minubuki to cut her arm off at the cost of her balance. Using this to her advantage, Suzume kicked Minubuki to the side and quickly used Teleport to get in front of a stunned Fubuki and cut off her head with Scorpion.

 **Trion limit exceeded. Bail Out.**

"Looks like my job is done," Suzume said as Minubuki rushed at her and cut her in half. "You're up, Toby."

"Gotcha."

Minubuki had no time to react as Toby appeared above her and slashed at her. She jumped back as Trion leaked from her body. She was ready to attack when he rushed at her again.

"Sorry but I can't let ya do that, bro."

Noah was suddenly between the two with his Kōgetsu blocking one of Toby's blades. He pushed Toby back, but wasn't quick enough to turn around and help his teammate that was cut in half by a scythe.

 **Trion limit exceeded. Bail Out.**

"That's a point for our squad."

* * *

"Damn! Damn! Damn! My bad, Taichin! I was slowed down by how rockin' everything was at the moment!" Minubuki exclaimed as she ran to the computer.

 _"It's fine, Minu. Same with you, Prince. Just leave scoring points to me now."_

"You heard him, ladies. Don't worry, Noah-kun will be able to pull this off," Sora said as he looked at the screen.

"Of course he can. He's out captain after all," Fubuki said with a smirk.

"Give 'em hell, Taichin!"

* * *

[And here it is! The fight between the Border agents from America! This'll be something to see!]

[ **I want to say "What are the odd of this happening," but this was going to happen either way**.]

[ _Regardless of who the others were fighting, these three would end up fighting each other. I'm sure every single squad member participating in this match agreed on this fight._ ]

[So you're saying that this was arranged!?]

[ _More-or-less. Either way, if it wasn't these three would still go at it._ ]

* * *

"It's about time~"

"Let's see how good he is now. I bet lots of people will be shocked~"

"Go Big bro!"

"Go Awdry-kun!

* * *

QOTC: Which of the American Trio (Toby, Noah and Shana) are you rooting for?

* * *

 **And there you have it! I hope you all enjoyed! If you didn't then I don't blame you in the slightest! I honestly don't have anything to say so bye!**

* * *

Trivia: I really didn't know what to do for this chapter. I just wanted to get to the next stuff. That's why it's all over the place.


	29. American Trio

**And here is number 29! The fight between one of the fan favorite trios is here!... You would understand why I said that if you looked at my other stuff. Anyways! This chapter was hell to write! Now let's begin!**

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own World Trigger, Shor Squad is owned by Zazaza gogo da, Tsukiko Squad is owned by Awesome Sauce and Minoru is owned by Yujonokage.

* * *

 **Chapter 29:** American Trio

* * *

"Hey, Mino, Big bro is gonna win, right?" Stepney asked, looking up to Minoru. "He lost last time because something was wrong, right?"

"Yup. You'll see just how awesome your big bro really is." Minoru grinned as he looked at the screen. "I helped him out, so he is even more awesome than before."

"You just helped with the basics~ I'm the one who have him an upgrade," Mukuro said lazily. Even with his tired look on his face, Mukuro was really paying close attention. "Although I suppose you're style isn't too bad."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"Do what you will."

'They get along better than I would have though,' Hoshi thought sheepishly. "By the way... Who is the younge boy there?"

"Oh. This is Fuzzy Head's little brother, Stepney."

"Hello! It's nice to meet you!" Stepney said with a big smile. "Are you Big bro's girlfriend!?"

"Wh-what!?"

"I thought he had a thing for Kitora."

"I'm trying to watch the match~ Please be quiet~"

[Anything to say about these three?]

[ _This will be an interesting fight. Seeing them fight will be like seeing three people play janken._ ]

[Janken?]

[ _Yes. You have Lee who has more power then the other two and can keep track of Awdry with her enhanced sight Side Effect. Then you have Awdry who has speed and can dodge Shor's shots with his Side Effect, rendering Gunner-type Triggers useless. Lastly is Shor who can switch between offense and defense at almost any time and find any opening or weakness with his Side Effect._ ]

[ **Lee as 'rock', Awdry as 'scissors' and Shor as 'paper'.** ]

[So for one of them to win they would need to go from one of the three to another?]

[ _That all depends._ ]

* * *

Noah moved the Kōgetsu that was in his left hand to his right and pulled the sheath if the blade out and held it in a reverse grip. He started to figure out where he needed to place what and how he would move.

 _"They're saying some interesting stuff about you three."_

'I really don't care right now. Dealing with these two takes top priority. Sora, would you mind keeping those two away?'

 _"Right. Sorry about that."_

Shana switched her position from an offensive one to a more defensive one as she eyed both boys cautiously. She knew that she would be able to cut through their defenses, but then her own would be weak.

'Sorry you two, but I won't be able to get to you any time soon.'

 _'It's fine. This isn't your area of fighting so just leave it to us.'_

 _'But you better win, ya hear!'_

'Yes, ma'am!'

Toby brought out two blades as he got in a fighting stance. It didn't look like an offensive or defensive one, which made it even more dangerous. He decided on which one he would take on first and planned ahead for it.

 _"Would you like some percentages?"_

'I'm good. Thanks.'

 _"Go get 'em! Kick their asses!"_

'I guess I could try that out in this fight...'

With the little waiting done, Noah ran forward and placed a Grasshopper on the ground. He went even faster towards Toby who had gotten ready to blocked. Instead of the two boys clashing though the goggles boy placed another plate in front of Toby and changed direction towards the unsuspecting Shana.

Shana brought up her scythe to block the attack coming for the Kōgetsu but couldn't block the one for the sheath and went back. She put her scythe to the ground and slid across it as Toby appeared above her with a Scorpion in hand.

Noah flew over her and kicked Toby away before using Grasshopper to go for her again.

She was more prepared and blocked the Kōgetsu with the blade of the scythe and blocked the sheath with the end of her weapon. She was able to push him back and swing the scythe around to try and get a hit. It was blocked, but he was still send back.

Seeing the Kōgetsu user trying to get his balance, Toby used Teleport to appear above him and try to run him through with a Scorpion from his foot. It was blocked by the sheath. The brunet jumped back and brought out two regular Scorpion blades as Noah put his sheath back and griped Kōgetsu with both hands.

Using Grasshopper, Noah sprung forward and trusted his blade forward. It was blocked and deflected by the two weaker blades. He used the momentum from the push to turn around to kick Toby stomach and jump in the air as Shana tried to slice through the two with her heavy weapon.

The three rushed forward and clashed in the middle before each pushing another back.

Noah was the first to regain his balance and went to attack Shana, who blocked the strike. He immediately brought up his sheath to block the attack from behind courtesy of Toby.

Shana put more strength into her arms and pushed Noah back, trying to hit the other male in the process. This didn't work though as Toby saw the attack coming and moved to the side before rushing in and making to get a cut on her before she could fully dodge.

Noah used Grasshopper to stop himself and launch himself at Toby. His initial strike with Kōgetsu was blocked, but he managed to kick Toby back and into a tree.

Toby planted both feet on the tree before he smashed into it and used Teleport to get in close to Noah and give him a cut as well.

Shana was quickly behind him and made him fly into the air as he blocked with multiple blades coming from his arms. Seeing Noah appear above her, she got ready to attack, but had to block a multiple strike combo from Toby, moving her away from the aerial attack.

Noah continued his attack and need up smashing Toby to the ground with the sheath of his Kōgetsu. He then used Grasshopper to fly back into the air as Shana made a slash at him. A cube of Trion appeared next to him and split into smaller cubes before flying down towards the two.

 **BOOM!**

* * *

[This battle is intense! The three of them are moving so fast and fluently that it's hard to know who you're suppose to be looking at! Not only that, but the two who got attacked by Meteroa are still standing with minor injuries!]

[ **Since Shor is an All-Rounder the other two know to take him out first, yet they won't pass up the chance to attack each other. It's smart, but none of them are using any actualy strategies. They're just going in and attacking who they see is open.** ]

[ _That's just how they are. Both Awdry and Shor can come up with something while in a fight and under pressure. As for Lee, she can retreat when the other two arent paying attention to her and go help her other two squad members. Although she won't be much help against Kotowari._ ]

[So they just want to settle the score? Is that why they won't put much thought in strategies?]

[ _No. While they would probably like to do that they know they have to get points for their respective squads before putting their own wants forward._ ]

[ **I have to give Lee credit for lasting this long though. She seems to be the weakest one between them.** ]

[Don't let her hear you say that.]

"With both boys out this fight will be one of attrition between them." Mukuro let out a sigh as he leaned back on his seat. "That is, unless Lee can manage it get a good hit on one of them. After that it has the possibility of being a toss-up."

"What do you mean by a 'fight of attrition,' Mu-nii?"

"I mean that both of their Side Effects are especially good in fights and countering each other. I'm sure Lee's eyesight is good, but that doesn't mean she can completely keep up."

"Do you know exactly what their Side Effects are?" Minoru asked looking at his fellow A-Rank. "When I was helping out Fuzzy Head I couldn't really get a full understanding of his Side Effect."

"Sigh... Yeah. That's because he only uses it for long range attacks." Knowing that he was getting questioning look Mukuro continued, although reluctantly. "His Side Effect is basically heightened reflexes. He doesn't even need to see what's coming at him since his body moves by itself. That being said, he 'turns off' his reflexes when fighting a close range fight. He probably wants to enjoy the fight in the area he's good at."

"Alright... Then what about Goggles? Kitora mentioned something about his Side Effect before."

"I don't know how long it takes him, but he can clear his mind and focus on what he possibly considers important. In a sense, it's like Kou's Enhanced Trance Memory, but unlike his, Shor can only focus on what's in front of him and it isn't stored in his memory. Not to mention that if his opponent finds a way to cover their weaknesses and openings he would have to find new ones."

"So really what you're saying is..." Stepney continued to look at the screen as the other three turned to him. "My big bro and that Noah guy are super awesome~~!"

* * *

 _"You're doing good so far. Keep it up!"_

'Don't patronize me, woman!'

 _"Just ignore her, Noah-kun. Keep your focus on the two in front of you. Have you found their weak spots yet?"_

'Tobio keeps changing his, but Shay's are mostly the same.' Jumping back from the scythe heading for him, Noah continued his conversation. 'Hey, Sora, do you think you could find a patter of where Toby puts his weak spots? I don't really have the time for that him with using Teleport.'

 _"Just leave it to me!"_

* * *

 _"Good job holding up against both of them."_

'Some help would be nice! Both of them move like crazy while I have this big 'ol scythe!'

 _"You could try what Awdry is doing. He keeps moving around his weak points to that Shor can't find them in time."_

'He uses Scorpion! He's more agile than me with those, so _sorry_ if I can't do that!' Seeing a Scorpion blade heading for her, she brought up the end if her scythe to block. 'Got anything else!?'

 _"You can try_ that _. It's probably your best bet here."_

'Urg... I hardly had enough time to work on it! Not to mention No was the one who suggested it to me!"

* * *

'Hey, Mei, I need some percentages now.'

 _"Yes? What do you need?"_

'The odds of this battle ending sooner in the trees than in the one?'

 _"Give me a second."_ With a block and a second later, she come back with an answer. _"75% in trees, 20% in open and 5% neither."_

'Good.'

Grinning to himself, Toby used Teleport to appear above the two as they clashed yet again. He didn't bring out any blade but instead tried to smash Noah's head into the ground with his foot while giving Shana a punch to the face.

The two blocked the hits with the end end of the scythe and sheath respectively. Neither noticed that someone appeared where the foot and hand touched.

Noah brought up his other arm as Shana moved her scythe, both ready to lob off a limb.

Toby was quick enough to use Teleport to get away from the power scythe yet still got his left arm chopped off by Noah's Kōgetsu.

He clicked his tongue once he ducked under a slash from Noah thanks to his reflexes. He brought his leg up and tried to cut the other with a blade that came out of his foot. He was able to get Noah's chin, but nothing major. He quickly spun on his foot and used the same foot that was in the air for another slash.

Shana, not wanting to be left out, placed a Grasshopper on the ground and stepped on it before flying forward and slashing at the two with her scythe. She was able to get Noah's side and Toby's leg that was in the air, but they both retaliated quickly with Noah staking a strike at her side and Toby taking off her leg.

Seeing that his chance had come, Toby used a blade to cut a nearby tree down, making the two jump to dodge. When he saw they were both within the forest now he cut down more trees, sending them further and further into the forest.

At this point he hid behind a tree and started moving quickly around with a mix of simply running, acrobatics and Teleport.

Seeing that they couldn't find him, yet still being able to see each other clearly, both Noah and Shana moved away with Noah firing off Asteroid and Hound in order to track down Toby and get a shot at Shana.

'Damn! I fell for something like this!?'

Noah brought up Kōgetsu to block a throws Scorpion but missed the one that was right behind it. He got a cut on the arm but didn't dwell on it as Shana was rushing at him thanks to her use of Grasshopper.

Just as Noah was about to try a counter strike, Toby appeared in front of Shana and managed to take off Noah's cut arm and cut Shana on the face.

They were both shocked that he suddenly appeared with such pinpoint accuracy. With a yell from their respective Operators they got out of their shock and went to attack him, only to slam into each other as the brunet disappeared.

 **CRACK...CRACK...**

They both moved back as a tree fell down right where they were standing. Looking up they saw Toby disappear again.

Having enough if this, Noah used Grasshopper to get higher up. He landed on a tree and could see Toby moving around. Once he saw that the brunet noticed him the chase was one.

The two moved from tree branch to tree branch with Shana running on the ground.

Noah fired off some Vipers to chase after Toby while letting out Asteroid at the ground to get Shana. None if them made contact, but it kept the two busy. Busy enough for Noah to put a plan to action. He fired off Viper, but instead of going straight for Toby they circled around him.

"What the..."

Toby watched as the Viper complete got him trapped. They circled around him with absolutely no openings. He looked over to see Noah stepping on a Grasshopper and heading towards him while Shana did the same from the ground. He grinned as he closed his eyes.

Just as the two were about to attack the brunet along with the Viper it happened.

 **ZOOOOOOM!**

They both went wide eyed when two laser-like beams spread past, taking a limb each. That wasn't the end of it as Toby appeared next to Noah, right where his sheath was.

The next few moments felt slow for the three yet were actually pretty fast.

Noah let out a flurry of Asteroid towards Shana.

Shana threw her scythe at Toby.

Toby cut off Noah's head.

 **Trion limit exceeded. Bail out.**

 **Trion limit exceeded. Bail out**

 **Trion limit exceeded. Bail out.**

* * *

[Th-that was so fast! They each took someone out! I'm not actually sure who took who out!]

[ _Rock took out sciccors. Sciccors took out paper. Paper took out rock._ ]

[ **Sounds about right.** ]

[That means all three squads get a point! With that being said, Shor squad is now completely out of this match! The only remaining agents are Kotowari-taicho from Kotowari Squad along with Asano-tai and Tsukiko-taicho from Tsukiko Squad!]

"That damn brat... I bother to help him on behalf of my brother and he only gets one point..." Mukuro clicked his tongue as he closed his eyes with a frown on his face.

"At least he did really well. Especially at the end," Minoru said with a big grin. "Just wish he would have shown off more of what I taught him."

"That was... That was... Amazing~~! Big bro was so awesome! The other two were too!" Stepney said with stars in his eyes. He looked over and pull on Minoru's sleeve. "Hey, hey, hey! You think they were awesome too, right?"

"Of course. All three of them did great."

"Hm. I feel like that turn out will be on their minds for a while," Hoshi said with a small smile.

* * *

"Thanks for that, Take! I hate to say it, but that really helped out!" Toby let out a laugh as he walked up to the other two.

 _"No problem. That's what teammates do."_

"Hahaha! That was just too fun!" Toby started punching the air as the two females watched him. "Now I really wanna go another round!"

"Honestly. You just got done with one. Just sit back and watch Take do his thing," Suzume said with an eye roll.

"Let him be. He did his part," Mei said with a kind smile. "?He was able to get another point right along side yours."

 _"Now let me just get these last two points."_

* * *

"Pah! Sorry guys! I was only able to get one point! Gah! Those two won't let me live this down!" Noah said was he slapped his forehead.

"It's fine, Noah-kun. You did great. Especially with no backup." Sora gave the captain a kind smile.

"Yeah, Taichin! That was awesome! The way you were able to get Tochin in that Viper cage was so rockin'!" Minubuki said as she threw her fist in the air. "Shachin was awesome too! I've gotta make a rockin' song just for that fight!"

"It _was_ more exciting than my own. I'll give you that," Fubuki said with a sly smirk. "Now let's see which team wins this."

"By the looks of it... Takeshi seems to be the winner," Noah said as he looked at the monitor. "Unless Maya can get up close enough for a strike or Eri can move around those laser I don't really see a way those two can win this."

"I'm sure they'll give it their all. No way would they want to quite," Sora said as he also watched.

"What kind of strategy would you two come up in a situation like that?"

* * *

"Sorry about the lose! And I'm the first one again!"

"It's final you got a score for us, so no need to worry," Kuni said as she looked up from the monitor.

 _"It's fine, Shay! Let us get another point! That way we'll be the winners!"_ Maya said from on the battleground.

 _"I would like it if you would pay more attention to finding a blind spot, o captain of ours,"_ Eri said with a small amount of irritation.

 _"Right..."_

"By the way, you should go back and hear what the three out there were saying about you three."

"Hm? What were they saying?"

"You'll have to find out yourself."

* * *

[We're now down to the final fight! This one seems to be rather one-sided, doesn't it?]

[ **That's too be expected. Kotowari's attack style is to wear down his opponent or go all out and destroy them. He seems to be doing the former this time.** ]

[ _I wouldn't count the other two out though. They are bother considered string enough to be their squad's ace._ ]

[So it's one ace against two.]

[ **I will say that this fight will be different than the other ones. Both Kotowari and Asano are strategic types. Even in a fight, they can come up with something to counter oncoming attacks.** ]

[ _That being said, they are basically countering each other's counter. So it all comes down to who can think faster. And in this case, where it's 2-on-1, Kotowari will need to be that person if he wants to win._ ]

[Well we'll see and find out!]

* * *

QOTC: Did you expect that end of the fight to happen?

* * *

 **So before anything I wanted to say sorry for any ooc-ness and for how short and quick this chapter was.**

 **So as said at the top, this chapter was hell to write. These three are the ones to end their fights quick, so it was hard to make a long fight! Not only that but I kept forgetting to put in commentary! Urg!... *sigh* I still hope you all enjoyed. Also, I hope I wrote Shana and Noah's fighting style well enough.**

 **That's all I have to say. Until next time... Bye!**


	30. Takeshi Kotowari: Part 2

**I would like to apologize for this chapter. That is all.**

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own World Trigger, Shor Squad is owned by ZGD, Tsukiko Squad is owned by Sauce and Minoru is owned by Yujo.

* * *

 **Chapter 30:** Takeshi Kotowari: Part 2

* * *

[We're now down to the final fight! This one seems to be rather one-sided, doesn't it?]

[ **That's too be expected. Kotowari's attack style is to wear down his opponent or go all out and destroy them. He seems to be doing the former this time.** ]

[ _I wouldn't count the other two out though. They are bother considered strong enough to be their squad's ace._ ]

[So it's one ace against two.]

[ **I will say that this fight will be different than the other ones. Both Kotowari and Asano are strategic types. Even in a fight, they can come up with something to counter oncoming attacks.** ]

[ _That being said, they are basically countering each other's counter. So it all comes down to who can think faster. And in this case, where it's 2-on-1, Kotowari will need to be that person if he wants to win._ ]

[Well we'll see and find out!]

"Ah. Looks like we're a little late."

"A little? The fights pretty much over."

"Man~~ I was hoping to see some of the other ones fight so that I can tell Kaze! Now I'm going to have to deal with him~!"

"At least you get to see the ones who are suited to you."

Akasora and Yuki looked at the screen that showed the three remaining agents while a younger boy with blue hair in a short ponytail sulked between them. They had planned to watch the fight from the very start, but that got pushed aside when Akasora and Yuki had to deal with certain things involving the new branch.

"It's okay, Ame. We'll just blame Mu down there," Yuki said as he pointed to his younger brother. 'Hm? Mino and Toby's younger brother are also there?'

"From the looks of things it seems that Awdry was able to take out someone," Akasora said as he crossed his arms.

"I think those three took each other out. Guess we'll have to go back and see." Letting out a sigh Yuki turned down the younger boy. "Pay close attention to this fight. You won't be able to exactly what Take does, but both he and Asano are good examples to follow when it comes to fighting."

"Roger!"

* * *

'You got a plan to counter this guy yet?'

'I've got multiple plans to counter him. The only problem is that I keep finding holes in them that he can and _will_ use.'

'Well hurry up and think of a Shana-proof plan already!'

 _'Hey!'_

Clicking her tounge, Eri continued to dodge and fire shots. Nothing seems to be working though since the laser-like beams didn't seem to be stopping or slowing down in the slightest. As she had told her captain already, she had multiple plans they could use yet none if them would end well since her opponent could find the same issue as her.

That's when she took notice if something.

'His pockets... Why are they moving...?'

Getting to the simple conclusion she slightly nodded to herself. She started telling her captain a both her plan and both got to work. She back up while Maya charged forward while being careful of the laser-like beams.

Turning some of her focus from the fight to her plan, Eri looked around just as two cubes of Trion appeared next to her. She fired off her shots with one being Meteora and the other being Viper.

The Meteora flew stright for Takeshi, but they didn't last long as the laser-like beams clashed with them, causing an explosion.

Around the explosion was the Viper that was shot. It was able to get close enough and some evaded the beams. They got close to Takeshi, making him jump back as a result.

'Yes! You got it!'

Maya ran forward with both blades at the ready. As she got closer she saw them.

Part if Takeshi outfit was destroyed, including his pockets. This gave the two girls a good view of his hands and fingers moving. Not only that, but they started to see the pattern he used to control the laser-like beams.

'I guess I should have expected as much from Asano...'

Letting out a small sigh, Takeshi threw his arm down.

Maya went wide eyed when multiple shots came down from the sky and took out her arm. She clicked her tongue and brought up her leg before kicking the falling Kōgetsu at Takeshi. She continued her rush as he moved to the side to dodge.

Takeshi moved to the side in order to dodge the blade headed for him and got ready to let loose another beam when his own arm was shot off. He didn't falter as another orb appeared in front of him.

Maya dodged the single beam that was fired from the orb and got ready to slash at Takeshi's stomach.

 **ZOOM!**

Before she could reach him a beam shot from his back and was close enough to where she wouldn't be able to dodge.

'Crap!'

Before it could hit her though, something from the side ran into the beam, stalking it and moving it long and far enough for Maya to roll to the side. She jumped back a bit and got in a defensive stance.

'Thanks for that, Eri!'

'Yeah. It'll be a little easier now that we can see what direction his beams will go.'

"Tomahawk."

Both girls were shocked when multiple shots were fired from Takeshi's back and moved around everything to reach their targets. The two tried to block then, but their defenses weren't strong enough to handle an attack like that, so they each got another body part lost from this with Eri losing a leg and Maya losing part of her side.

* * *

[ _Something like that is to be expected from him, I suppose._ ]

[ **Distracting them with a single beam from behind while focusing on making a composite shot is smart, but the fact he was doing that while still holding off Asano's shots is something else.** ]

[ _But the fact he uses regular shots means he's running low on Trion. That's to be expected, what with that large attack in the forest earlier._ ]

[For those who do not understand, Kotowari-tai's Trigger has been modified to use these beams instead of regular shots. When he's running low on Trion they switch back to regular shots. He can change what he uses, but he is mostly known for these beams.]

"I'm the one who helped him out, so of course he'd be able to do that much." Yuki smirked as he looked at the screen.

"You still have to give those girls some credit for taking one of his arms though. Not to mention they were able to figure out that he was controlling those beams with his hands."

"Looks like I'm a little late for this fight."

"It's fine. The true laser show isn't for a while." Yuki glanced behind to see Nasu standing there with a smile on her face. "So no Kuma or Akane with you?"

"Just me," Nasu said as she walked up next to the All-Rounder. "Although Akane-chan did say to ask if you would mind buying her some ice cream later on."

"Hahaha! Just like her. I'll keep that in mind. Maybe even invite Yoshi to join us." Turning back to the screen, Yuki started leaning on the railing. "I didn't know you were interested in this laser show though."

"Well Asano-chan has asked me for some tips before and Kotowari-kun usually wants to have a match, so I wanted to see how this will turn out."

"Are you sure you don't just want more data in case you go up against them?"

"..."

"Gotcha."

* * *

'We're wearing him down, but... We're not much better..'

"Not to sound arrogant, more so to help you out with any later fight, but you two made a mistake when fighting me," Takeshi said with a calm, but respectful tone.

"Sorry to say, bit you don't really look too good yourself there, bud." Maya jumped to the side to dodge another shot. "You've been reduced to regular shots."

"Sigh... I'll tell you after I win. Give it three more minutes."

"'Not to sound arrogant' my ass!'

'He's not the type... What's he planning?'

'Who cares! Let's just try and end this quickly! We're gonna use any plan you've got now! Even if one of has to Bail Out we'll at least get the survival point as compensation.'

'... Alright. I've got one then.'

 **Three minutes.**

Looking at her Shooter, Maya gave a nod and got ready for the attack.

Eri fired off a full assault of different types of shots. They clashed with oncoming shots with explosions going off all around.

Takeshi jumped back as Maya came through the smoke. He fired off some Asteroids, but missed and got one of his legs cut off.

 **Two minutes.**

Maya didn't relent and continued to run forward as some Vipers came from behind as support.

Takeshi put up a Shield and blocked all the attacks, but at the coast of even more Trion.

 **One minute.**

The final attacks came in the form of Maya getting close enough to use Senku as more shots came from behind.

"... Circus..."

Eri noticed a shadow above her and looked up to see a single orb above her. She thought a single beam would come out and she was right. A single beam came from the orb.

But that's not all.

As the beam was coming down, two more beams branched off from it. Then two more branched off from the side ones and mains one. Then even more branched off. By the time it was half-way down its fall the single beam had turned into a cull rain of them.

Eri tried her best to get away and managed with minimal damage. She then noticed how close she was to the other two.

"We-"

"Teleport."

For the last time in that fight, both Maya and Eri were shocked as Takeshi disappeared from sight. They didn't need long to find out where he was though.

"Asteroid."

 **Trion limit exceeded. Bail out.**

Maya turned around just in time to see Eri Bail Out while Takeshi held out his hand and fingers like a gun.

Putting as much Trion as she could, Maya used Senku only to feel someone behind her.

"Asteroid."

 **Trion limit exceeded. Bail out.**

* * *

[And that's it! Both Tsukiko-taicho and Asano-tai have Bailed Out! Kotowari Squad gains a survival point! The final score: 2-2-5! Kotowari Squad is the winner!]

[ _This match was a good way to see how much Kotowari Squad has changed from their first match. Not only that, but also how much stronger both Shor Squad and Tsukiko Squad have gotten._ ]

[ **Each fight had unique things going on that determined how the outcome would be.** ]

* * *

"Sorry that I didn't see that coming. I noticed his eyes moved over, but thought nothing of it. My bad."

"It's fine. The fact we were able to get that much damage on his was thanks to you after all." Maya gave a smile with a thumbs up. "Next time we'll get him to Bail Out for sure."

"Yeah."

"Something's bothering me a bit about this though... " Kuni said with a hand on her chin. "He must have been lying then..."

"Hm?"

* * *

"The first squad to get thrown out if the match, huh?" Noah sighed out as he scratched his head. "Ah! I guess that's fine. When it came to points we ended up tying with Tsukiko Squad."

"Don't worry, Taichin! Next time Minubuki-sama won't lose! She'll make sure we win for sure! Minubuki exclaimed as she thre her fist in the air.

"Yeah. I'll get the perfect snipe next time. Just wait and see," Fubuki said with a wink.

"Right. I'll be counting on you then. You too, Sora," Noah said as he turned to ther Operator. "Hm? Sora? What's up?"

"Kotowari-kun's last attacks... And his previous one to lure out our hiding member... Something's off with it..."

"What do you mean by 'off'?"

* * *

"That was awesome, dude! Come here!"

"Yes, yes. Thanks. Now can you please stop?" Takeshi tried to get out of his friend's headlock with no success.

"He's honestly right though. Those last hits were pretty awesome, Take."

"Takeshi." Seeing that she got his attention, Mei continued on. "When you were training with Yuki... Did anything go up?"

"Go up? What's that suppose to mean?" Toby asked as he let go of his friend.

"That first attack to lure out Shashin. The seemingly endless fight with Asano. Laser Circus into Teleport. That takes up quite a bit of Trion. Even I would start to feel it."

"Yes, well... Senpai wanted me to work on my regular shooting as well as my Trion reserves," Takeshi said calmly. "He wanted me to raise the amount of Trion I had, so he made me do rigorous training."

"I thought so... He probably used the training Sensei did with us."

"What!? You have (honestly) got to let us do that too!"

"No... Trust me... You _don't_ want that kind of training..."

Both Toby and Suzume were confused when they saw Mei and Takeshi both shiver. They started sweating a little and agreed that they didn't want to go through something that would make _Mei_ shiver.

 _[_ _Now for the final commentary and match review._ _]_

* * *

[This match was in the rarely used Forest Area with no whether conditions. The ones who chose this area was the squad that managed to win. Them being Kotowari Squad. Let's look back at the fights.]

[ **At first it seemed that Snipers would be the most useful in this fight, but that was quickly proven wrong when Misaki was found out by Asano and Tsukiko. Even after that, the only two snipers there ended up going at it.** ]

[ _That was definetly the start of the back-and-forth fights of this match. Even with Misaki's quick moves, Shirogane was able to dodge them, for the most part._ ]

[ **That lucky shot from behind the tree was most likely due to their Operator's help.** ]

[ _Regardless, that was ended rather quickly with Misaki taking out Shirogane, and being taken out herself by Shashin._ ]

[From there let's move on to the next fight with, who most people call, the American Trio.]

[ **There isn't** ** _too much_** **to say about that one. After being defended by Shor, Shashin still got outed by Lee. Once that was done it was just a simple brawl.** ]

 _("A simple brawl my ass! Let me go kick his ass!"_

 _"Toby, calm down.")_

 _("I'll punch his face in!"_

 _"You can't do that! You'll get in trouble, Shay!")_

 _("Why that damn jackass..."_

 _"Oh! Oh! Taichin is mad!"_

 _"Minu-chan, please don't antagonize him.")_

[ _On the contrary, how fluid they were in their attacks and how quick they were in their counter-attacks takes skill. While it was just another back-and-forth fight, there was still strategy in it. Especially near the end with Shor and Awdry._ ]

 _("Uh-huh. Ai gets how awesome I was."_

 _"She's probably just pitying you. You_ did _need my help at that point."_

 _"Shut up!")_

[That finisher was amazing though. They were each able to score a point by getting one if the other two. Now we move on to the final fight between the aces.]

[ _I'm actually surprised at how simple it was. For ones who strategic, that was just a shooting contest with a few swordplay moves._ ]

[ **It's** ** _because_** **they were strategizing that it was so simple. As mentioned before, that was a fight to see who would outsmart the other first. Clearly it was Kotowari who won that mental battle.** ]

[Before we go, I would like to ask the two of you something. What do you think Kotowari meant when he said "you two made a mistake"?]

[ _ **That's easy... Those two left the forest.**_ ]

 _("WHAT!?")_

[ _If they didn't leave the forest then Kotowari wouldn't have been able to use Teleport and appear behind them. They could have made quick sword moves while using Hound and Viper. Not to mention it would have given Asano time to focus._ ]

[ **And if he were to have used a large scale attack to blast the trees then he would have used a lot of Trion that would bring him down.** ]

[ I see~ Well that wraps things up for the B-Rank battles Round 3 nighttime section! Thank you for being here~!]

[ **Right.** ]

[ _Thank you._ ]

* * *

"Man~~~ That was fun!" Toby stretched as the four exited the room. "Now I feel like going a few rounds. Maybe I could find Shun around."

"Big bro!"

Toby was thrown to the floor by a body smashing into him. He looked down to see Stepney looking up at him with a big smile. Being happy to see his younger brother, Toby patted the boy's head.

"Hey there, Step! Did ya see how awesome I was!?"

"Yup! You were super duper awesome!"

"You were great out there, Fuzzy Head," Minoru said as he and Hoshi walked up to the four of them.

"Ah! Mino! You saw that too!?"

"Yup. Undead was with us, but Loki knocked him out and ragged him away as soon as we saw him."

"Yuki did?"

"Hey, hey, big bro! Do you think I could learn to be that awesome!?" Stepney asked with shining eyes.

"Of course! But you're already awesome!" Lifting his brother onto his shoulder, Toby turned to the rest of the squad. "I'm gonna be going now. I wanna spend some time with this kid before the jackasses bother to come and get him."

"Alright. I'll see you back home, I guess," Takeshi said with a wave.

"I'm actually gonna go too. My mom and sis are waiting for me," Suzume said as she walked off.

'Younger siblings... Mother...' Takeshi got a distant look in his eyes as he stared into nothing in particular.

"Takeshi? Hello?"

"Hm? Oh. Senpai. Yes?"

"I'm heading out as well. I'm going to go see Yuki. Would you like to come along?" Mei asked with a hint of worry on her face.

"No. I'm fine. Tell him a said hi though."

"... Alright. I'll see you tomorrow."

Nodding his head, Takeshi turned from the older girl to the one that was in front of him. They were friends, but he hadn't spoken to her much recently. He wondered why she didn't go with Mei to see her brother, but didn't bring it up.

"That was a nice fight, Kotowari-kun," Hoshi said as the two started walking away.

"Thank you. It was challenging going against someone who had a counter for almost all of mine."

"I see..."

"Is something wrong? You are usually upbeat."

"Ah. I was just wondering... What's it like to have a challenge?"

"Hm?"

"A-ah! Not to sound like I'm being arrogant, or anything! It's just that..."

"I understand. A challenge... What does it feel like... Well... I can't really say. The best way I could put it is that it feels like it's frustrating when it's in the way and feels like it's crushing you when you lose, but it feels great when you beat it."

"I see..."

"Any particular reason you want to know? If you don't mind me asking, that is."

Stopping in her tracks, Hoshi looked down as Takeshi did the same by stopping his feet.

He wondered what was wrong. Before he wouldn't have cared much, but now he was worrying a bit about this. She _was_ one of the people he could call a friend, even before the disbandment.

"Kotowari-kun..."

"Yes?"

"Please, let me join your squad!"

* * *

QOTC: So how do you like the Ocs? (Any or all)

QOTC2: What other squads would you like to see them (KS) go up against?

* * *

 ***bows* I am sorry for the short and boring fight! It** ** _was_** **suppose to take the whole chapter, but I rely couldn't think of much for this. I could only think of certain parts and nothing else. So, again, I'm sorry.**

 **And as per usual, I'm sorry for this chapter being short and pretty boring.**

 **With nothing more, I bid you a bye.**


	31. Hoshi Taiyōko: Part 2

**I was so, so, sooooooooo tempted to make another Oc team just for the next round, but I thought of a better idea. No spoilers though~ Also, sorry if this chapter is too short and/or boring. It doesn't have much to it this time.**

 **Disclaimer:** WT isn't owned by me! Mino is owned by Yujo!

* * *

 **Chapter 31:** Hoshi Taiyōko: Part 2

* * *

"They won."

"Of course they did. Did you expect anything less?"

Akasora and Yuki just waited around while Nasu was talking with Ame. None of them seemed the least bit surprised by the outcome and simply waited for certain people.

Well Nasu just stayed back to give Ame some pointers.

"Let's go give them a really, really big congrats!" Stepney said as the little group walked up the stairs.

"Sure. I bet he'd love to see you after that fights," Minoru said with the kid on his shoulders.

"Well I need to go and give him a good smack to the head," Mukuro sighed out. When he looked up he saw Akasora and Yuki looking down at him. "Aw crap..."

"What?" Looking up as well, Hoshi saw the two people looking down at them. "Oh..."

The two watched as Yuki lifted his finger and gestured for them to finish their walk up the steps. They did so rather reluctantly and noticed that bother Ame and Nasu were there as well.

"Hey, Lo-"

 **BAM!**

Everyone around watched as Yuki kneed his brother in the stomach, knocking him out, and gave a small salute before dragging the unconscious boy out of the room with Ame fallowing close behind.

"Don't mind that. Mukuro was suppose to be doing some stuff at the branch office and skipped out in order to come and see the match," Akasora sighed out. He turned around and started for the exit as well. "See ya tomorrow, Hoshi."

"Yeah..."

"Well... That was something..." Minoru couldn't help but to wonder how long the two had been like that. "Why don't we go see Fuzzy Head and the others now?"

"Yay!

With that, the trio took their leave.

The walk was filled with Stepney's excitement with Hoshi giggling and Minoru just smiling. Neither of the older two did mind the volume since seeing the youngest one was too cute for them to even do anything.

"By the way, Hime, you were watching that match with so much intensity I thought you might make the screen explode."

"Was I? I hadn't noticed..."

Seeing the girl go a little quieter, Minoru glanced down at her as they walked. He knew she looked like a delicate girl and one people wouldn't want in Border, but his instincts told him something else. If that wasn't enough he continued to remind himself that she was a Taiyōko, meaning she was related to Yuki, Kushikage, Mukuro and two great soldiers.

"Is something wrong, Hatohara-senpai?"

"Huh? Oh. No." Scratching his cheek, Minoru looked back up. "It's kinda odd to hear my last name used. Most people just use my first name."

"Ah! I'm sorry!"

"Hahaha! It's fine. It's not like it make a difference to me." Deciding to get a certain question out in the open, he continued while looking forward. "If you don't mind me asking, how well do you think you are in a fight? One-on-one or otherwise."

"Huh? Oh... I'm not particularly any good." Looking down and fidgeting a bit, Hoshi looked up at Minoru. "Um... If you don't mind _me_ asking..."

"Yes?"

"Can I see your body?"

"..."

"..."

"... I'm sorry?"

"A-ah! S-sorry! I meant your Trion body!" Hoshi exclaimed as she moved her arms around. "I had heard from Inukai-senpai about how you fight and that your Trion body is a prototype! I wanted to see because I wanted to help! I'm so sorry!"

"Ah ha ha ha... I get it..." Minoru said sheepishly. "I don't mind. But why do you care so much?"

"Oh... Well..." She turned her gaze to the ground again so a small blush. "I know it may sound odd coming from me, but... I love stuff like that. Making a prototype or beta of something into a complete thing... I've been working with the engineers here at Border on three different Triggers, but they're also just prototypes."

"Really? I wouldn't have expected that from someone like you. No offense of course."

"None taken."

"Alright. I don't mind it. Especially if it helps me out." Having something pop into his head, he looked back down at her. "You know Haru-chan?"

"Yes. He helped me and Tsukiko-senpai's brother out when we were lost."

Before that conversation could finish they all heard a familiar voice say, "Man~~~ That was fun!" They looked and saw Toby walk out of the room with the rest of the squad behind him.

"Big bro!"

As soon as Minoru let Stepney down the kid ran forward and tackled his brother to the ground. Neither of them seemed hurt and Toby patted his head. The two couldn't help but think about how cute the scene looked.

"Hey there, Step! Did ya see how awesome I was!?"

"Yup! You were super duper awesome!"

"You were great out there, Fuzzy Head," Minoru said as he and Hoshi walked up to the four of them.

"Ah! Mino! You saw that too!?"

"Yup. Undead was with us, but Loki knocked him out and dragged him away as soon as we saw him."

"Yuki did?"

"Hey, hey, big bro! Do you think I could learn to be that awesome!?" Stepney asked with shining eyes.

"Of course! But you're already awesome!" Lifting his brother onto his shoulder, Toby turned to the rest of the squad. "I'm gonna be going now. I wanna spend some time with this kid before the jackasses bother to come and get him."

"Alright. I'll see you back home, I guess," Takeshi said with a wave.

"I'm actually gonna go too. My mom and sis are waiting for me," Suzume said as she walked off.

Hoshi smiled when she saw the two leave with their family, and Minoru in Toby's case. She looked over and saw that Takeshi had an almost longing look in his eyes as he watched them leave. She felt bad since she was one of the only people who knew that he, unlike his teammates, had absolutely no family to speak of.

"Takeshi? Hello?"

"Hm? Oh. Senpai. Yes?"

"I'm heading out as well. I'm going to go see Yuki. Would you like to come along?" Mei asked with a hint of worry on her face.

"No. I'm fine. Tell him a said hi though."

"... Alright. I'll see you tomorrow."

Hoshi saw Takeshi turn to her and she got a smile on her face. She had been his friend since even before the disbandment and she wanted to help him out as best as she could. Even if that meant not bringing up the look he gave and give him a smile.

"That was a nice fight, Kotowari-kun," Hoshi said as the two started walking away.

"Thank you. It was challenging going against someone who had a counter for almost all of mine."

"I see..."

"Is something wrong? You are usually upbeat."

"Ah. I was just wondering..." Hoshi was hesitant in continuing. She wanted to help Takeshi, but right now it seemed like she was the one making him worry. "What's it like to have a challenge?" She mentally slapped herself when she asked this. 'Of all things I could phage asked...'

"Hm?"

"A-ah! Not to sound like I'm being arrogant, or anything! It's just that..."

"I understand. A challenge... What does it feel like... Well... I can't really say. The best way I could put it is that it feels like it's frustrating when it's in the way and feels like it's crushing you when you lose, but it feels great when you beat it."

"I see..."

"Any particular reason you want to know? If you don't mind me asking, that is."

Stopping in her tracks, Hoshi looked down as Takeshi did the same by stopping his feet. She had been thinking about this during the match. She watched how well each agent fought and how much it took for them to do such things. She observed it all.

She had now made up her mind. She didn't even know this was something to contemplate and without even thinking about it she had an answer.

"Kotowari-kun..."

"Yes?"

"Please, let me join your squad!"

She quickly got nervous when Takeshi went a little wide eyed. She thought she probably shouldn't have asked that, what with her own brother accidentally hurting them, but she had decided on this answer.

She had been a C-Rank with no plans but to get to B-Rank. Now that she was a B-Rank she wasn't sure what to do. After seeing how well everyone worked together and how everything got done, she wanted to be a part of a squad.

"Um..."

"Ah! I'm sorry I asked that out of the blue!"

"It's...fine..." Takeshi scratched his cheek sheepishly. "I just want to know... Why our squad?"

"Huh? That's because it's you guys."

'Is she serious...?' Takeshi couldn't help the small blush they crept up when he saw her tilt her head with the most innocent looking eyes he's ever seen. "Well... Um... Are you sure? I mean... You do know what it takes to be a part of a squad, right?"

"Yeah! You have to get along with your teammates!"

"That's true, but..." He wasn't sure he wanted to say more since she seemed to have twinkles her eyes as if she got the right answer to a hard problem. "It's...more than just that..."

"Oh yeah! You also need to work hard!"

'Well it's not false...' Letting out a small sigh, Takeshi just decided to tell her. "You need to fight at the same pace as your teammates. Always support them to the best of your abilities. Your style needs to match theirs."

Takeshi felt odd saying this. He knew that he wouodnhavensounded like a hypocrit if he said this before, but now he knows this is the truth of the matter. He himself believed every word of it.

While Hoshi simply looked at like if he just said that healthy grass is green or that Sakura petals are pink. She already knew this and felt like it went without saying that working with your teammates and supporting them was like fighting for your own life as well.

"I can do that. I've already observed all three of you, so I can support in any way possible."

'What!?' Calming himself, Takeshi looked to the side as he scratched his cheek again. "Alright... Well... I see no problem then..."

"Ya-"

" _But_!"

"Hm?"

"There is a special requirement to join out squad." Takeshi had to cover his face at the cute, but intense stare he was receiving. "You need to be able to use Teleport as well as any A-Rank."

That was really anything anyone had discussed, and Takeshi was just joking around anyways, but it was a fact that before, and even now, this particular squad was well adept at using Teleport. Even the three B-Ranks could give Arashiyama a run for his money. Toby being the best at it though.

"That's it? I'm already good at using it. I even know how to use the Special Teleport Awdry-kun used," Hoshi said with another head tilt.

Takeshi could just image Yuki giving a thumbs up whole winking.

"Alright then. Welcome to the squad."

"Thank you!" She jumped forward and hugged Takeshi with a smile on her face. She didn't even notice his blushing face. "Ah! I mean! Thank you, Sir! I'll serve the squad well!" She exclaimed with a salute.

'... What did I just do?'

* * *

"Now I _know_ this isn't the place I'm suppose to be, but... Which way do I go?"

Hoshi scratched her head as she looked around. She was suppose to meet with Kotowari Squad for formalities, but got lost and ended up back where she started. This was the third time this happened.

She let out a sigh and tried to find someone she knew so that she didn't have to 'bug' another agent on the matter. She didn't see anyone, but she did hear two particularly kind people.

"So, so, so~ a Heard you lost to Kuga~"

"Yes. Your point?"

"Oh nothing~ Looks like you've gotten rusty there, bud."

"If you fought him then you would understand."

Hoshi quickly turned around to see Yuki lightly punching Murakami with the latter easily blocking the punches. She quickly ran over, happy to have found them before it got too late.

"Kiyo-nii! Kou-onii-san!"

The two turned to see Hoshi run up to them and both gave a smile. Yuki greeted her with a hug while Murakami simply pat her head.

What mst people didn't know was that Murakami was like a third older brother to Hoshi. Yuki had introduced them before and they took a quick liking to each other. That quickly turned into sibling affection that clearly showed since Murakami would dote over her at time.

"So what's up? You said you had something to do and that's why you wouldn't be at the branch office."

"Oh! I'm here to formally meet my new squad!"

"Who are they?" Both Yuki and Murakami said as they quickly went into Big Brother Mode. "Do we know them? Are they nice? What rank are they?"

"Both of you know them," Hoshi said, trying to ease the two. "It's Kotowari-kun's squad."

"Oh. Alright then."

It was amazing how fast the two went back to being calm.

"Right... Well I was just looking for the way to go. I keep getting lost." She scratched her head sheepishly was she took a step back.

"Where is she...!?"

"Anyways! I was wondering if you two could help me find my way!"

She didn't notice, but when she jumped she went back a little and ended up crashing into someone. She was the only one who landed on the floor as the other person was still standing. She quockly turned to Yuki and Murakami to see them ready to hit the person.

"Oh. I'm sorry about that," the person said as he extended his arm out.

"No. It's fine. That was my bad." Taking the hand, she came face-to-face with a light-haired, glasses-swearing boy. Then she remembered the other two. "Ah! I'm totally fine, so please don't hurt him!"

"Hm?" Turning to the side, the boy saw the two older boys and couldn't help the shiver that ran down his spine. "..."

"Wakamura, this is your _only warning_. Make sure this _never happened again._ **Got it**?"

"Y-yes, Sirs..."

"I'm so sorry about those two...um..."

"Wakamura Rokurō."

"Right. Wakamura-san."

"There's no need for the 'san'. I can't be too much older than you."

"You are two years older than her, give-or-take. So keep your distance," Yuki said as he stood in front of Hoshi.

"So anyways...!" Moving her brother to the side, Hoshi turned her attention back to Wakamura. "You seemed a little agitated, Wakamura-kun. Is something the matter?"

"It's nothing. I'm just waiting for my captain to arrive. She's a _bit_ late." Anyone could hear the irritation in his tone when speaking.

"What about Miura?" Murakami asked, calming down a bit.

"We were both waiting and I decided I would go look for her. He's probably still back where I left him."

"I see."

"I told you I would be a little late." A new girl walked up to the group with a bored look in her eyes.

"No you didn't!"

"I think I meant to."

"Knowing you... Well whatever. Let's go. We need to practice some more."

"Why? I've already got things down."

Both Yuki and Murakami knew that they should just stay out of this fight and keep their distance. Sadly though, Hoshi didn't.

"Even if you do, wouldn't it be best to practice with your squad?" Hoshi asked, looking at the girl.

"As long as they don't get in my way then I'm fine," the girl said back. "Besides, I've already mastered down what that practice is, like I've just said. Those two can work hard, but it won't amount to anything against some natural talent. Those two understand, right?" She looked at Yuki and Murakami, but both brought up their arms to make cross marks as they shook their heads.

"What? That's not right!" Hoshi put her hands on her hips as a frown came to her face. "Hard work is essential for getting stronger! We, as humans, always want to get stronger, to surpass our limits!"

"But limits are there as a stop block. Once you reach it then that's it."

'And here we go... This'll end badly.' Both Yuki and Murakami started backing up as Hoshi got closer to the girl.

"That's not right either! When you get to your limit then you push pass it and go even higher! You are suppose to prove that exactly what you said about natural talent is wrong! Hard work _can_ beat natural talent!"

"There's no dealing with you, is there?" the girl sighed out. "Whatever. I don't have time for this. I'm leaving." Doing as she said, the girl started to leave, but she was stopped from going too far.

"Wait! May I please ask you name!?"

"After all that you're being polite? What a weirdo. Sigh. Fine. My name is Katori Yōko. I'm that guy's squad captain."

"Well then, Katori-san! If we ever fight then I will show you just how strong hard work can be!"

Making her off like nothing, Katori walked away.

"Urg! I hate vain and stubborn people like her!" Hoshi crossed her arms as she started pointing. "People like her deserve a slap on the wrist... And a kick to the chin!"

"I agree." Wakamura turned to Hoshi with a small smile on his lips. "I agree with you that hard work does pay off. While she is my captain, I hope you do show her that hard work can beat natural talent."

"Huh? Oh! Right! I'll make sure to do just that! For all us hard workers!"

"I'm looking forward to that. But if we happen to fight in the Rank Wars don't expect me to go easy on you."

"I would be insulted if you did."

"Hm... Now that I think about it... I never got your name."

"Oh. It's Taiyōko Hoshi," she said with a bow.

"Hoshi, huh? Alright then. Maybe I'll see you around." With that, he too his leave as well.

"Ho-chan! We&'really gonna go too! I need to help Kou here since he's gotten kinds rusty," Yuki said with a wave as the two left.

"Alright! Bye!"

Hoshi couldn't help the smile that grew on her lips. She had gotten to see Yuki and Murakami while meeting someone like Wakamura. Although she could have done without meeting Katori, she thought her day was going good so far.

Then she remembered something...

"I still don't know where to go... Kiyo-nii! Kou-onii-san!... Wakamura-kun!"

* * *

QOTC: Do you have any natural talent? If so, then what?

* * *

 **And there ya go! I hope you all enjoyed! If you didn't then I understand!**

 **Ooc Ocs! Ooc Canons! I can do them all! Sorry if anyone was ooc! I wouldn't doubt that at least half of them were!**

 **So anyways... Yeah... I have accidentally stowed away on the WakaHo ship while another me is having fun on the TakeHo ship... Speaking of ships! Next time we get some Dream ship! Meaning more Mei!**

 **Until next time... Bye!**

 **For those who don't get it, YuMe is the ship name and yume means "dream"...**


	32. Mei Takaoto: Part 4

**So... This** _ **was**_ **suppose to be a comedic chapter, but... I'll let you all decide if it is or not... Let's start...**

* * *

 **Chapter 32** : Mei Takaoto: Part 4

* * *

"Sode no Shirayuki."

"Suzumebachi!"

"Sogyo no Kotowari."

Mei shook her head as the other three argued over pointless things. She was happy they were doing this again, but it did get on a person's nerves at times. Lucky she had a large amount of patience that only one person could test.

Thinking of the older woman, Mei let out a sigh as she looked at her phone. She had multiple messages from said woman and a few from Yuki. Even Murakami had went her something. She didn't mind the messages from the latter two, but the former was starting to irritate her.

 **Creak~!**

"Sorry I'm late! I got lost!"

All attention in the room turned to the single girl who had just walked in.

Mei gave a smile and welcomed the girl. The two, like with Murakami, had known each other because of Yuki. However, when Mei changed her name to what it is now, she had stopped having almost anything to do with the younger girl. It wasn't because of anything particular. It just...happened.

Either way, it was nice to see her joining their squad. Now they would really be able to catch up.

"Thank you for having me! Please take care of me!"

Snapping out if her thoughts, Mei saw Hoshi bowing to them all, as best as she could that is. They were all over the place, so it was pretty hard to do.

"Hey now, since you're joining us, there's something you need to know," Toby said with a grin as he sat lazily on the couch.

"Oh. Are you talking about the Teleport thing?"

"Teleport thing?" From the corner of his eye, Toby could see Takeshi looking away. "No. I was gonna say that you don't have to be so formal with us."

"Yeah. We're honestly one of the most informal squads out there," Suzume said with a wink. "Suzume or Suzu is fine by me."

"Toby or Tobio is good," the brunet said, grin still on his face.

"Takeshi or Take. There's no need for honorifics either..."

"And you're free to call me whatever," Mei said with a smile.

"A-are you sure...?" Looking to see the nods she got, Hoshi started to fidget a little with a small blush. "O... Okay..."

"Aw~~ You're honestly too cute~!" Suzume quickly grabbed the younger girl and started squeezing the life out of her. "I'm so glad we have another girl with us~!"

"U-um... S-Suzu-senpai..."

"So cute~~!"

"Alright, Suzume, that's enough," Mei said with an amused smirk. "I'm sure she would like to start breathing again." Seeing the Sniper doing as she was told, Mei nodded her head.

"We hope you enjoy yourself with us, Taiy-"

"Hey! What did we _just_ get done saying?" Toby exclaimed, turning to Takeshi. "We just told her she doesn't need to be formal and you go using her last name!"

"..."

"Don't give me the silent treatment!"

"..."

"Um..."

"Don't mind those two," Mei said, smile never leaving her face. "They're usually like this." She stood up and headed for the door. 'It's good to see them like this again...'

"Are you going somewhere, Onee-san?"

"I'm just going to get a drink. Would you like to come with me?"

"No thank you."

"Alright. If anyone wants anything then just message me."

* * *

"Sekai azamuku yurugi nai seigi...hodoite shinjitsu kono te no naka..."

Taking her drink from the vending machine, Mei continued to sing. With her being alone, the downside of her Side Effect was more likely to appear. She hated having this Side Effect for the fact it causes her mind to go overboard and others to misunderstand.

With her Side Effect being fast paced thinking, in basic terms that is, her mind could easily go from one side of the scale to another in no time flat. One second she could be thinking of the perfect strategy and the next it could be about onigiri. This was usually stopped when people were around since her mind was focused on what was going on, but when alone her mind was definetly her greatest opponent.

Each time her mind would go through everything it needed to it would stop at the same thing. That same thing being life. She would think about life in general and why life was even what it was.

Then it would get dark and go towards the opposite side of that scale. She would think about death. How people felt about it, how a death can happen, **what did death feel like**. When she use to bring things like that up, people would think she was going through some sort of depression, but in fact it was just her curiosity going above and beyond. That's why she needed distractions. Not because she had anything wrong with her, but simply because she didn't want to get to the end result.

That's where certain people came in...

"Fu-chan~~ I found you~!"

Mei had a blank look on her face as Kushikage came up behind her and groped her. She could see Kako walking up to them, making it obvious the two older woman had been walking together.

"I _will_ punch you if you don't let go."

"But that's so mean~~"

"And you think I care for some reason because...?"

"So mean~~"

"This is sexual harassment, you know..."

"Now, now, no need to be like that." Kako gave a grin at the two and made no moves to tear the two apart. "You wouldn't actually call someone with how strong you are, now would you?"

"Hm. I'm more than enough to deal with this woman. The real issue is how I'm going to go about...beating her to a pulp." Mei quickly turned around to try and punch Kushikage, but missed and hit the vending machine, causing it to make awkward sounds.

 **CLANK**

The three females watched as drinks continued falling down as the sounds from the machine continued. One after another until it was backed up, cans just lay there for someone to take.

Not wanting to be seen with a broken vending machine by them, the three quockly made their way down the hall to the wide open area with tables. They quickly looked around and saw that no one was looking at them, so it was safe.

"Even with the fragile figure, you definitely pack the punch of a man. And you aren't even in a Trion body," Kako said as she crossed her arms.

"Thank you...?"

"Sorry ladies, but he's taken!"

Hearing a loud voice, the three turned to see a sheepish Yuki scratching his cheek as a brown haired girl stood in front of him, blocking a mob of C-Rank girls. They each had different reactions with Kako still grinning, Kushikage letting out a sigh and Mei tilting her head in confusion.

"What's that all about? And who's that girl?"

"You haven't notice?" Kako asked, looking at the younger girl. "Since Yuki cut his hair there have been tons of girls asking him out."

"That's idiotic," Mei said with a blank face. "His hair only covered his left eye, no way it would make that much of a difference."

"Well he has been going at it with Kou for a while, not to mention he made a great impression on TV as the official representative of our branch," Kushikage said, actually keeping an even tone. "He was the only one with Akasora during the interview and the old man made a slip up by saying that whole he's the Branch Director, Kiyoshi would be the rep for the branch."

"Leave it to him of all people to say something like that..." Mei sighed out as she shook her head. "Then what about that girl in front of him? I don't think I've seen her around before."

"Actually, neither have I."

"That's because she just got her a few days ago," Kushikage said almost too happily. "She like you, Fuji, in the fact she was a combatant before becoming out branch's current Operator. Heard she was pretty good too."

"I see."

"Her name's Nakagami Velvet. Again, she was an A-Rank, like you."

"It sounds more like the same character in two different bodies," Kako said as Velvet and Yuki walked up to them.

"Hey there, Kushi-chan!"

'How old is she? She can't be older than me, so why is she adding 'chan' with Kushikage?'

"You must be Kako-san and... Fuji-chan!"

Mei easily dodged the incoming hug by moving to the side. Another one followed close behind, so she did the same thing. This continued with the two looking like they were dancing around the area.

"Velvet, you should leave her alone," Yuki said, pulling the girl back. "You don't want to get on her bad side. Trust me on that."

"And how do you even know my name?" Mei said with some sass evident in her tone. 'Why does she remind me someone...?'

"That's because Kushi-chan told me it!" the girl said with a smile.

"..."

"Mei," Yuki started with a sigh, "this is our new Operator, Nakagami Velvet. She's been getting along with that woman there, so that can explain quite a bit of things."

"You can say that again..."

"So Nakagami-chan, I hear you were a combatant," Kako said, slightly enjoying this. "Why did you switch over to being an Operator?"

"Well I was moved over here to help out the new branch that you guys now have, but when I saw Kiyo-senpai-dono looking so hard for an Operator I just _had_ to switch," the younger girl answered as she snuggled up to Yuki. "And before you ask, I had been an Operator before a Combatant, so that's why I could switch so easily."

"His name is _Yuki_..."

"Hm? Did you say something?"

Mei was about to answer when she saw someone walking up to them from behind the two. She let out a sigh when she saw who it was and got ready to break it up.

While on the other side of that, Yuki went still after he got a familiar feeling. He gave a very forced smile as he turned to Kako and asked, "Kako-san, you wouldn't happen to have a blunt object with you by any chance, would you?"

"Sadly I do not," the other A-Rank said with a similar smile. "But your fist will be more than enough, won't it?"

"I suppose, but I'm more in the mood for...a kick!" Yuki quickly turned around as he lifted his leg to hit the person walking up to them. He missed when the person back up, but contined to give a smile. "Oh, I'm sorry, Airhead-san. I didn't know that was you. I just felt some nasty vibes coming my way and reacted to it."

"That's probably coming from that fake smile of yours. Although I suppose all you can do is fake things," Ninomiya said calmly.

"Well I'd rather be a trickster than an airhead."

The two glared at each other while the girls just watched with either amusement, a blank face or confusion. It had been well known that these two got along as well as fire and water. No one actually knew why they anyways seemed to be at each other's thoughts, except Ninomiya Squad, Mei and Akasora that is.

"What do you even want, Airhead? I know you didn't come over here for a friendly chat," Yuki said with a tick mark on his head.

"I wanted to know where Minoru was, so I came over to ask Takaoto. So just stay out of my way and we won't have a problem," Ninomiya said with his own tick mark.

"Oh? So you wanna know where your boyfriend is?"

"And what would give you the idiotic assumption that we are lovers when I don't swing that way?"

"Oh I don't know, maybe because you two always seem so damn fluffy around each other."

"That's because he isn't annoying as a certain faker."

"Really, 'cause I thought you had a massive bo-"

Having enough of this, Mei walked forward while clapping her hands ans saying, "Alright you two, break it-"

"Speaking of stuff like that, is Fuji-chan with Kiyo-senpai-dono?"

The area surrounding the ground went completely silent as the air got fifty degrees colder.

"Huh? What's wrong? Aren't those two-"

"SSSSSHHHHHHH! Don't say stuff like that! Do you want to die!?" Yuki, Kako and Ninomiya covered Velvet's mouth as sweat started rolling off of them. " _Please_ don't pull that pin!"

"Hm?"

Kushikage watched in amusement as Mei's face quickly went red and she started spewing and stuttering random things. This went south quickly as the younger girl turned to the four and grabbed Ninomiya's head.

The guy didn't have any time to react as his was knocked unconscious from a headbutt that felt like a sack of rocks had just slammed into his forehead. He fell to the ground as Yuki burst out in laughter.

This is where everything went south.

"They're not so big, but I susspose Senpai-dono could be into small ones," Velvet said as she groped Mei's breasts from behind. "I'm sure he'll love these then."

Kako quickly turned to the open area where there multiple agents and yelled out, "Code: Blush Storm! I repeat, Code: Blush Storm!"

The C-Ranks looked at her with confused looks, but the B-Ranks, and the few A-Ranks there, knew _exactly_ what she was talking about. They quickly got to work in preparing for the worse or guiding the C-Ranks out of the open area and to the halls.

This was the best course or action for what was about to happen...

* * *

"Man this woman is so damn annoying," Akasora said as he walked down the hall with Shinoda next to him. "She can never just stay put, can she?"

"You gave Yuki the assignment to show Nakagami around, right? That explains why she's all over the place," Shinoda said, already use to these kind of complaints.

"Heads up!"

The two quickly ducked a a table flew over their heads. They looked back to see Yuki in his Trion body laying in the pile of the broken table. They quickly turned forward to see a completely red Mei throwing chairs here and there while hokding a limb Inukai by the head.

They looked around to see that the whole area was a disaster with most things broken and agents sprawled out all around. They could see Kako laying on a table, Murakami in some broken chairs and Ninomiya laying against the wall with a broken pot and dirt on his head.

Minoru, Kazama, Tachikawa, Suwa and Arashiyama were the only ones still standing and trying to trap her in.

Suwa had gone in to try and pin her down, but she easily grabbed his hand threw him. He, like Yuki, was in his Trion body, so he didn't feel the pain and didn't have any injury, but he seemed to be in a daze. That meant four people stood forward against her.

"That's it! That's it! I'm sure Senpai-dono is super impressed by you! Keep it up!"

Well... There was two other people still standing off to the side.

Those people happen to be Kushikage and Velvet who, while still in their real body and injured, seemed to be yelling things that was obviously making Mei embarrassed.

"These two..." Akasora could feel his anger going way passed the limit as some veins could actually be seen on his head. "YOU TWO IDIOTS!" Akasora had ran towards the two and jumped in the air before slamming his feet into Kushikage, who had ended up running into Velvet, while Shinoda went over to help stop the rampaging Mei.

"O-... Oh... Hello there, Akasora... How are you?" Kushikage said with a smile.

Not saying anything, the former teacher grabbed the two by their ears and dragged them over to the others. He moved passed them and tossed the two girls on the ground, right in front of Mei.

"Let these two deal with the consequences of their actions for a bit," Akasora said as he started walking over to carry off the other agents. "You should all leave as well."

"What about Haru-chan?"

"He's a goner at this point. Sorry to say it, but we have to leave him."

'We shall pray for your safety,' the rest of them thought as they did a quick prayer.

* * *

"Hm~~~ Ow..."

Mei slowly sat up as she rubbed her head. She quickly grabbed her head as it had started hurting more to the point of it feeling like she just slammed head first into iron.

"Here, take some of these."

She looked over to see Yuki sitting by her and that's when she noticed that she was on an unfamiliar bed with curtains around her. She looked back at Yuki to see him holding some pills and a glass of water.

Taking them with gratitude, she put the pills in her mouth and drank the water before turning back to Yuki.

"So... I'm guessing this was her fault?"

"Yup."

"... How much damage?"

"Well seeing as we were smart enough to try and hold you down with our Trion bodies, we hardly got any damage. Well... Except for Inu that is..." Yuki laughed sheepishly as he remembered how his friend had looked after Mei had passed out. "As for the area... That will need to be rebuilt..."

"I see... So I should probably bow down to Inukai...shouldn't I?"

"Yeah..."

There was a silence between the two that was quickly broken with both of them letting out laughs. This would be the fifth time something like had happened and they both new exactly how everything would go down.

Inukai would keep his distance, but still forgive her, multiple agents would be extra careful around her for a bit, the new C-Ranks would learn why they should respect Mei along with knowing what "Code: Blush Storm" meant and finally, Shinoda and Akasora would have to try their best to kiss up to the other directors.

"Ya know, I don't think an Operator should be that violent," Yuki said with a grin.

"Yeah... Well..."

"Well I can't say it was all bad." Yuki couldn't help the smug look he got on his face. "You _did_ give that airhead a nice hit to the head... Two actually. That was definetly fun to see."

"Glad you enjoyed his suffering," Mei said with an eye roll.

"Well that's just how you are, so I can't say I don't like it." Yuki noticed that Mei was getting red and quickly stopped talking. "A-anyways!"

"Could you _please_ stop flirting already! There are some of us trying to recover!" Suwa's voice was heard from the other side of the curtain.

"DON'T SAY THAT!" multiple agents yelled in the room.

Yuki slowly looked over to see Mei going even more read. He started to let out a small laugh that turned into a sigh.

"Round 2 it is..."

* * *

QOTC: What are you most embarrassed about?

* * *

 **And there you have it!**

 **I just wanna say that this chapter changed** ** _so much_** **from what I originally had. Speaking of changes... Velvet went under at least 30 different changes from when I made her yesterday to when I put her here.**

 **The second half of this chapter fell flat since I just couldn't find the words for certain parts. I still hope you enjoyed though.**

 **Anyways! Next is probably gonna be for Suzume then we get to the next round! Sorry if this one and the next one are kinda filler-y, but I needed some inbetween chapters.**

 **So until next time... Bye!**


	33. Suzumebachi Misaki: Part 4

**Hello and welcome back! All I've got to say is that this chapter is by far not the best one I've made!... Granted most of them suck... Let's start!**

 **Disclaimer:** World Trogger isn't own by me and each Oc is owned by their respective author

* * *

 **Chapter 33:** Suzumebachi Misaki: Part 4

* * *

"I don t u-on to go to sukuru~ I jasuto u-on to break ta rues~"

Suzume happily sang to herself as she walked down the road to the Border HQ. She hadn't been told to do anything by Narasaka or Satori for a while and with Hoshi now in the squad there was one more girl there. She was in a pretty good mood.

"You may be a good singer, but please don't try and sing in English." Shana walked up next to Suzume with a playful grin. "You're _honestly_ worse than Maya, ya know."

"That's _honestly_ my thing, so please don't _honestly_ take it," Suzume said back as playfully as the blond.

"So no one with you this time? That's shocking. I thought two certain brown haired Snipers would be with you."

"Oh honestly... Those two are something else," Suzume said with an eye roll. "Ever since I asked Tōru to help me out, they've both been giving me ridiculous commands. Ken even had the audacity to tell me to walk around the base in a maid's outfit!"

'She doesn't even notice she's calling me by their first names...' Deciding not to bring that up, Shana changed the subject. "So do you know who you're going up against in the next round?"

"Not yet. Mei-san should have that answer by today."

"By the way... I've been hearing some rumors about her..."

"Rumors? Like?"

"Like she destroyed an area at the base."

"Hm? No way. I mean, she can be dangerous when she's mad or embarrassed, but to destroy a whole area?"

"It's just a rumor, so I guess you could be right."

Before the two could continue any further, they heard two other people talking. Now they weren't in some secluded part of Mikado, but there weren't that many people around. It was actually an urban area they needed to get through in order to get to one of the entrances.

Being the only one to recognize either of the voices, Suzume quickly went over to take a look. What she came to was the scene of Hoshi and Wakamura walking together, most likely to the base as well. She couldn't help but start fantasizing about what the two were talking about and quickly went into "Ship Mode".

Seeing that the brunette was in her own little world, Shana went over and started dragging her through the area with a sigh. She knew it was better to just guide her to the entrance than to wake her up from her daydreaming.

"She complains about other while I'm stuck doing this..." Shana let out a groan as she continued to drag the other behind her. She was very tempted to just leave the Sniper behind.

"You seem to be having fun there~~!"

Shana turned around and saw Satori standing there with a grin on his face. She clicked her tongue and explained what happened before letting of Suzume's wrist.

"You can deal with her when she's like this, right?"

"Just leave it to me!" Satori gave a salute before walking up Suzume and whispering something in her ear. "Three... Two... One..."

"Screw you!"

Without much warning, even after Satori's countdown, Suzume got an angry look as she rammed her fist into his stomach and making him fall to the ground. She turned around, flipped her hair and started walking away.

"Come on, Shana! This idiot can honestly stay here and die for all I care!"

'... What did he say...?'

* * *

"Come on, Ken~~ I told you I was sorry~ Besides! It was honestly your fault!"

"Don't care~ You still owe me~"

Suzume let put a groan as she walked toward the training room with Satori. There wasn't anything wrong with the scene... Is what it should be like. What made this scene odd was that both of them were in their Trion bodies, for the training, but Suzume was wearing a maid outfit instead of her usual squad uniform.

After making it to the base, Satori had decided to get revenge for the punch by making Suzume practice in a maid's outfit and her, now short, hair in two tails. She was even stuck in heels.

"Do you realize how messed up this is!? I'm just honestly going to tell Haruka-chan that you're being so mean~"

"Then I command you not to tell her, or anyone else that I'm 'being mean,' got it?"

'When did is guy become such an S!?' Letting out a sigh and crossing her arms under her chest, Suzume just puffed out her cheeks as they made their way to the room.

As soon as they entered, the two quickly got everyone's attention. Well, it was more like Suzume's outfit caught everyone's attention. Most of the guys started going into their own little world while the more respectful ones turned away.

"Misaki-senpai! Why are you wearing that?" Akane asked as she ran up to the two.

"Akane-chan~~ Help me~~ Ken and Tōru and being so mean to-"

"Ahem!" Satori gave a smirk whole glancing at Suzume. "I think those spots are open."

"Sorry! Saving one of them for someone! He just went out!" Hanzaki said, hoping to get Suzume next near him.

"Oh! Darn shame! Well I better go find one for myself!" Suzume said, great fun for the direction, but also making a mental note to give Hanzaki a good hit on the head later. "Akane-chan, _please_ tell there's an open spot by you?"

"There's on next to me. You are taking that one."

Suzume froze in place when she heard the voice that made her want to really hit something. She slowly turned around to see Narasaka in urging if her while pointing to the spot next to his own.

"Sigh... I suppose I don't have a choice..."

'I officially hate you, Narasaka Tōru!' is what was running through most of their minds.

"Ah, this is no good. There's no free spaces next to each other."

"Wanna go down a floor?"

"Yeah, let's do that."

The four turned to see Chika, from Tamakoma, and Izuho, a C-Rank, looking around for spots. They didn't have to look too long as one of the younger looking Snipers moved some stuff from the seat next to him and tell them they could take the spots there.

Both Akane and Suzume went starry-eyed when they looked over. For different reasons though.

"A kitty!"

"An honestly moe ship!"

The two girls made their way over to the three with Akane fawning over the cat and Suzume fawning over Chika and Ema, the Sniper of Kageura Squad.

"Nasu Squad's... Hiura-senpai and Kotowari Squad's Misaki-senpai?"

"Hey there, Chika-chan~!" Suzume greeted while Akane was having cat problems. "So, Yuzu-kun, letting Chika-chan here sit near you, huh~?"

The boy in question just turned away. He also knew well enough that letting Suzume get to him would cause so much trouble that even Azuma would have trouble calming her down. He was actually a little glad when the No. 1 Sniper, Touma, interrupted.

Suzume was about to beg Touma to help her out with Narasaka and Satori, but that was stopped when the practice was starting and Narasaka came to pick up Suzume... Literally.

* * *

"Thank you for the match," Takeshi said with a now as Nasu and Kumagai stood in front of him.

"It's no problem. You're getting better with your regular shots and those lasers are still pretty difficult to completely get around," Nasu said with a kind smile.

"Hearing that from someone like you makes me glad that Maya and Eri went against him instead if me." Noah walked up to them with a wave and goggles around his neck, as per usual. "I was wondering if any if you would mind having a match with me."

"Not that we really care, but why us?" Kumagai asked, looking at the American.

"Well both Rei and Takeshi are really good Shooters and I thought you would want some help with your own shooting."

"Sigh... Fine. I guess-"

"NNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"

The four turned to see Toby running at them with high enough speed to where if he didn't stop right then and there then a collision was inevitable. But as he was who he is, he didn't have any brakes, meaning they needed to prepare for impact.

"Yūko...!? Crap!"

Seeing that Kumagai was in the way of his original target, Toby jumped into the air and put a hand on Kumagai's shoulde just before reaching them and flipped over the four of them. Just as he landed on the ground, he pushed himself forward and launched himself at Noah. He ran into the boy and accidentally took Kumagai down with both of them.

'That was his react...not his reflexes...' Nasu noted as she looked at the three on the ground. She then took her phone out to take a quick picture before hiding the electronic. 'I'll save that for some points...'

"Toby, what did I tell you about running into people?" Takeshi asked with a sigh.

"I wanted to fight a Kōgetsu user and saw No here, so I had to ask him for a match!" Tapping his head for a few seconds, he turned to Nasu. "Ah! Right! I have a message from Suzume for you, Rei!"

"Me?"

"Yeah! She says, 'Nasu-chan! Help me out with your idiotic cousin or so help me, I will honestly _that_ against you and it won't be much of a secret anymore!' That's all."

"'That'?"

"R-right... Tell her I'll see what I can do," Nasu said with some sweat on her forehead.

"Of course she would have some blackmail material on us all," Takeshi muttered as he pitied Nasu.

"By the way, what's with Tōru and Ken anyways?"

"Hey, dude, ya mind getting off of me now?"

"Apparently it's because of some kind of deal Senpai made with Narasaka-senpai that she now has to do what both of them say," Takeshi explained. He had been told this by Mei so that he didn't get any misunderstandings. "I wonder what the deal could have been..."

"Maybe she asked for help," Kumagai offered.

"Nah!" all of them said at the same time.

* * *

"Achoo!"

"Chu!"

"Well that was a cute sneez," Touma said, looking over at Suzume.

"Urg! Why do I feel like punching one of them in the face now...?" Suzume muttered a she looked at the score. She had switched from her personal shots to regular ones to see the difference and now she was seeing it.

"You still have work to do on your regular shots. Not to mention we need to work on your shots with Ibis," Narasaka said, turning to the girl. "Speaking of which, I want you to only use the Sniper Triggers in your next match."

"Uwah~ I was already planning on doing that," Suzume said as she scratched her head. "Mei-san is helping me out to be an All-Rounder, but I am still the squad's only Sniper, so I need to work harder on that."

'She's finally understanding these things now,' Narasaka said, with a more relaxed expression. 'It took her long enough.'

"Narasaka-senpai!"

"Hiura." Both Narasaka and Suzume turned to the side to see the other three female Snipers walk up to them.

"As expected of Narasaka-senpai! You're No. 1 with a decisive lead again!"

"Not trying to burst your bubble, Akane-chan, but take a look at Touma-san and Yuzu-kun."

Doing as told, Akane, along with Izuho and Chika, looked to see a smiley face on one of them and a star on the other. They were shocked to see this and verbally expressed it along with their face expressions showing it as well.

"Points alone cannot measure someone's true ability, because there are 'unfettered talent' that exist outside the box."

"Ah~~~ First time I've sniped with a puss on my head," Touma said as he walked over to the rest of them. "A pretty novel experience, innit? Narasaka, wanna give it a try?"

"I'll pass."

"Then how about you, Suzu-chan?"

"Sure thing. If you try to snipe with a maid's outfit that is."

"Don't think there's one in my size."

"You're ranking is always low because you're doing stuff like this!" Akane said as she and the two younger girls stood with Ema.

"Not really... This is just playing around..."

"No, it's amazing. You really have complete control over it!" Chika praised, getting a small blush from Ema and a squeal from Suzume.

"Ohhhh? What's this, Yuzuru? Aren't you popular? This is Ema Yuzuru, 14 years old. Please get along with him ladies," Touma said, patting the younger one on the head.

'Now that I think about it... I Hatohara-san was Yuzu-kun's but I don't actually know if he knows Minoru-kun...'

"Touma-san, I'm leavening. Give my greetings to Fuyushima-san," Naraska said before grabbing Suzume and walking off. "You're coming with me."

"Huh...? Why!?" Suzume pulled her arm back, but still walked next to him.

"Because you were thinking about unnecessary things again. Knowing you, you were probably thinking of ways to get those to together."

"What!? This time I wasn't! I honestly swear! Yuzu-kun reminded me of something and I was thinking about that. Honestly." Suzume went back to her real body as she flipped her hair. She started fixing it up into a small tail behind her head as she continued. "And what's it matter to you what I'm thinking about?"

"You have a tendency to get pointless things in your mind when you should be focusing on something else."

"And what was I suppose to be focusing on exactly? We were done with practice."

"..."

"Well?"

"... On how you're going to correct your aim..."

"Liar." Smirking to herself, Suzume went in front of Naraska and stood there. "I have a question. What are _you_ thinking about?"

"..."

"Well?"

"... Nothing important..."

"Ha! There ya honestly go then! You can't go accusing me of something that you're doing! Hypocrit!" Letting out a sigh, Suzume got a kinder smile on her face. "Well, even if I wanted to train some more with you, I have it get going. I need to see the others to talk about who we're gonna face in the next match."

"Hm. Remember to only use your sniping Triggers."

"I know, I know." Walking away with a smirk, she finished by lightly patting his face and saying, "You can even come and watch my awesome sniping skills."

* * *

"Alright, so our next opponents are Nasu Squad and Katori Squad. They're both strong, but I have no doubt you four can win this," Mei said as she looked at her computer.

"Katori...?" Hoshi looked down as she put her finger to her lip. "So it looks like I really can give her a kick to the chin..."

"What are you saying, Hoshi-chan?" Suzume looked over at the newest member whole she sat on a chair.

"A-ah! Nothing. I was just muttering to myself," Hoshi said as she waved her hands.

"Okay, so before we get to talking about our strategy, I have a question," Toby asked with a serious look on his face. "Suzume, is it true that you went to sniping practice in a maid's outfit?"

"Wh-what!? Who honestly told you that!" Suzume's face went a little red. While actually having it on and people knowing about it wasn't too bad for her, it spreading that fast got to her.

"I've been hearing it here and there. I heard Shay say something about it, Fubuki mentioned it and Ken was talking about it before I went over to see Ai... Although I forgot Osamu was there as well..."

" **I'll kill him... I'll kill him... I will** ** _honestly_** **kill that idiot...** "

While the others have been through stuff like this before, Hoshi was freaking out a little since their Sniper seemed more like a she-devil than anything else. She was slightly put to easy when Suzume let out an irritated sigh and started muttering to herself.

"Anyways... I know I'm new and don't have much say in things, but-"

"What are you talking about?" Toby gave her a that-was-such-a-stupid-thing-to-say look a he leaned on the back if the couch. "It doesn't matter if you're new or not. We listen to everything each other has to say. If you have a suggestion then we'll listen to it and try it out."

"I-I see... I'm sorry for that then..." Seeing Takeshi make a motion as if to say 'go on and tell us,' she continued. "Well... I've been working on threes three new Triggers with the engineers and wanted to know if we can try them out... Ah! But they're just prototypes, so if you don't want to then of course we don't have to!"

"Sounds interesting," Suzume said with a curious look. "What are their names?"

"H-huh?"

"Well if we're gonna use them then we should at least know their names, right?"

"O-oh... Well... One of them is called Zanzō and another is called Fujin..."

"Like Jin-san's Black Trigger?" Takeshi questioned.

"Y-yes... It is modeled after an aspect of the Black Trigger Fujin and only works with Kōgetsu," Hoshi explained. "The last one doesn't have a name yet... But I can still give the details on what it can do."

"Hm... Well since none of us use Kōgetsu, we can't test out your Fujin..."

"That's won't be a problem. I'm well adept in using Kōgetsu, so I'll gladly try it out."

"Alright. It's your own prototype, so you can use whatever you want," Takeshi said calmly as he thought everything out. "Suzume-senpai will be sniping the whole time, so she probably won't be able to use anything of them... I will test out Zanzō myself."

"I'll try out the unnamed one then!" Toby said excitedly. "I'll be the only one with a cool new prototype Trigger! They won't see the awesomeness coming!"

"I-it's not much..."

"Don't put yourself down like that," Suzume said with a smile. "You've worked hard on these, right? So they'll be greatk I'm sure! If anything goes wrong then we'll honestly deal with it when we get to it."

"Now that you've decided on that, why don't we get to the planning?" Mei said with her own smile.

"Roger!"

* * *

QOTC: Favorite Kotowari Squad member? (I am clearly running out of these...)

* * *

 **And there you have it! I hope you all enjoyed! If you didn't then I totally understand!**

 **On a small note, I think this is the first time I've shown Chika in this story... That is honestly bad on my part... Anyways! Sorry for another short chapter!**

 **I don't really have anything else to say, so until next time... Bye!**


	34. Kotowari Squad: Part 4

**All my apologies for this chapter are at the end. Let's get started.**

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own World Trigger and each Oc belongs respective authors.

* * *

 **Chapter 34:** Kotowari Squad: Part 4

* * *

"So it's them then? Hm... This might be tricky, especially since Nasu Squad has the right to choose the area this time... Not to mention our spawning locations are chosen at random..." Tapping his head a few times, Takeshi thought about their plan of action. He knew he could think of something for one squad, but he also had to take the other squad into consideration as well.

"I won't be able to take out Akane-chan with my usual way. Maybe not at all."

"Hm?"

"I'm only have the sniping Triggers and support Triggers on me."

"I see..." Taping his head again, Takeshi came up with something. "Alright... Even if Toby's Side Effect he's won't be able to beat Nasu-senpai, so I'll take her on, as well as Wakamura. Toby, you try and get Kumagai-senpai, Miura and Katori-senpai. If either you or Hoshi happen to find Hiura then take her out. Hoshi, since this will be your first rank war match, you'll help in backing the two of us."

"... Got it."

"Hm? Something wrong?"

"A-ah! No! Sorry! Something was just on my mind!" Giving a smile, Hoshi grabbed her arm and said, "Just leave support to me!"

"Alright then." Standing up, Takeshi headed for the door with a sigh. "Sorry, but I have something to do, but I'll come up with an actual plan later."

"Alright then! I'll be going as well," Suzume said as she jumped to her feet. "I have an idiot to go kill!"

"Can I go! I wanna go big Ai for a bit!" Toby quickly followed after the female Sniper.

"Sigh..."

"Is something the matter?"

"A-ah... No... It's just that..." Fidgeting a little in her seat, Hoshi looked at the ground. "I was hoping that I could...actually fight against Katori-senpai..."

"I'm Takeshi already knew that," Mei said calmly. "He's thinking about the points and keeping you all on the map until the very end. He's being a leader, that's all."

"I know... I get it, but..." Letting out a sigh, Hoshi slapped her cheeks and got a determined look. "Alright! I'll put my personal thoughts aside to help score points!"

Mei could help but to let out a small laugh at this. She knew that when the younger girl got like this she souod focus on what needed to be done. That being said...

"There is a loophole in this."

"A loophole?"

"If Toby _just to happens_ to be fighting Katori..."

"Then I can go...and support him!" Getting a sparkle in her eyes, Hoshi grabbed Mei's hand in her own. "Would you really do that?"

"Well you all _do_ need to take out the opponents, right? And under one condition. "

"Thank you!"

* * *

"So we're going against them, hm? It shouldn't be too hard."

"They're some of the ones you really can't underestimate."

"Can you tell us anything about Taiyōko-chan, Rokkun?"

Katori Squad as currently sitting in their own Operation Room as they discussed their match for Round 4. After an argument or two they had gotten on track and were talking about their strategy.

"Why do you go stright to me?" the glasses boy asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I just figured you would know more about her than us since you've been hanging around her for a while now," his male teammate said.

"How does that-"

"So do you know anything or not?" Katori asked, not really seeming to care. "Wait... Is she that annoying little girl who was complaining?"

"She isn't an 'annoying little girl,' but yes, we're talking about her," Wakamura said with slight irritation in his voice. "And I don't know how she fights. She's supposedly a Gunner who's learning to be an All-Rounder. She also enjoys making things and has helped to make three prototype Triggers."

"Wow~ Do you think she would use these new Triggers in our match?" Miura asked with a whistle.

"I doubt it. While Kotowari has seemed to be more open, I doubt he would want to try using new Triggers that aren't even perfected yet," their Operator, Somei said. "And since she herself is still learning, it's safe to assume she is just using Gunner-type Triggers in this match."

"I'm just gonna take her out the first chance I get," Katori said as she looked at her phone.

"Don't forget she's a member of the Taiyōko family," Somei said, looking at the captain. "I'm sure she-"

"She's not like her siblings." Wakamura said this with such seriousness that even Katori looked up at him. "She is more normal than them and joined Border because she wanted to help others. She tries really hard, but has no actual fighting talent. Don't underestimate her."

"..."

"..."

"Are you two secretly going out?"

* * *

 **SLAM!**

"What!? Those two squads!? Are you serious!?" Kumagai let out an irritated sigh as she sat with her squad. "We just lost to Suzunari and Tamakoma, now we have to deal with these top tier B-Rank teams!?"

"This is rare. You're actually complaining about this kind of stuff, Senpai?" Akane asked, looking at the Attacker.

"It's not that! It's just that they're all odd fighters!"

"Isn't that only Kotowari Squad?" Shiki said calmly. "Katori Squad doesn't do that much odd things when fighting."

"At least it'll be easier to figure out a strategy against Kotowari Squad," Akane said happily. "Misaki-senpai will head to me, Kumagai-senpai can take on Awdry and Nasu-senpai can take on Kotowari."

"That's only if we're disregarding Katori Squad," Nasu said as she remembered the ending of Kotowari Squad's fight with Shor Squad and Tsukiko Squad. "And even then, I'm not sure if I should start with Kotowari-kun. Not only can he fire in real time, but he has his relentless attacks."

"Not to mention they all have Teleport, so they won't be easy to catch." Kumagai looked at the screen to see the recent matches. "By the way, who is this girl? I haven't seen her before."

"Oh. She's the newest member of their squad. She's Taiyōko Hoshi, a Gunner, apparently," Shiki said as she pulled up as much information as she could. "I didn't think they would let her of all people join."

"Huh? What do you mean by that?"

"You and Hanzaki-kun go eat ice cream with her brother all the time and yet you don't even know they're related?"

"What are you... What!? Tsukiko-senpai and this Taiyōko-chan are related!"

"... Going back to the planning... Like Rei said, those match ups can only really work if we completely disregard Katori Squad, and that's obviously a bad decision."

"Hm..."

"What is it?"

"It might not be so bad if I can take out at least two members of Katori Squad." Nasu got a thoughtful expression as she thought this all out. "But I don't think I'll be able to do much against Awdry-kun, what with his Side Effect and all. Maybe when Misaki-chan fires I can get her as well."

"So Akane would have to focus on anyone other than Awdry while I take him out and you go for the other members... And this Taiyōko has to be new, so she probably won't be a problem. We're leaving her to you then, Akane."

"Okay! I'll make sure to get the shot this time!"

* * *

"I'm kinda excited for this," Yuki said as he walked down the hall. "This is the first time I'm helping with commentary, and it's for my old squad no less."

"Is that so? Can't wait to hear what you have to say." Minoru walked up next to his fellow A-Rank. "Remember to have no bias during this. Even Mr. Elite was taking it seriously duorng Round 3."

"Hm? You heading over to watch it too? What, are you their new fan, or something?" Yuki said with a causal tone. "Didn't even know they had any."

"Well last time I went to see Fuzzy Head, but this time it's to see Hime."

"Hm? Hoshi?"

"Yup. She said she'd help me out with my Trion body, so I thought I should see her fight. She also asked for my help in a certain something the other day as well, so I want to see how well she does."

"Ah~ So she _observed_ you. Wonder what she learned."

"Hm?"

"I'll tell you later," the smaller one said as he walked off. "Ah... There is something I should tell you though."

"What?"

"Don't just stoop watching them after this match, or any of them..." Taking a glance behind, Yuki gave a grin that seemed to just fit on his face. "They'll easily go up and take that spot of the airhead you love so much." With that, he really made his way it the commentator's box.

"Hm. I guess I should give Taka a warning then."

* * *

"I am so sorry!" Hoshi gave a deep bow as she spoke. "I wasn't able complete them on time!"

"It's fine." Takeshi looked at his arms and legs to see straps fastened around them. Hoshi seemed to have the same straps on with five on each limb. "I'm just wondering why we need these straps while those two don't."

"Oh... These are for Zanzō. They are the best way to test it out."

"I see..."

"Man! I'm just itching to try out this new Trigger! Can we start already!?"

"Calm down already. Save your energy when you go up against our opponents."

"Right!"

"By the way, Yuki's gonna give the commentary this time," Mei said, waiting for the reactions. She was presently surprised when all she saw were grins and smirks.

"Let's give him a good show to speak about then."

* * *

[Welcome, everyone, to the fourth round of the B-Rank wars! Kunichika Yuu from Tachikawa Squad here with the rep of the Yagura Branch, Tsukiko Yuki and member of Bakuto Squad, Yamamoto Yorushi!]

[ **How they got you to do this will be on my mind for a while.** ]

[ _Thank you for having me here._ ]

[So anything special to say before we get started with the match?]

[ _This is an important match for both Katori Squad and Kotowari Squad as it will decide which one can move up back into the Top Tier and who will continue to be in Mid Tier, while Nasu Squad is still making their way up._ ]

[ **This'll also be generally interesting as both Take- Ah... Kotowari and Nasu are powerful Shooters and Katori Squad firearms as well, meaning they'll all have to choose their opponents wisely.** ]

[Thanks for that! Looks like they're starting! Everyone's been transported in and the area that Nasu Squad has picked in an urban area with multiple overpasses!]

* * *

'Alright... I can't hold any if them back!'

Hoshi looked at her surroundings to see that she was somewhere between the top and bottom of the multi-layer overpass. She wasn't too sure where to actually go, so she went to the wide of the road and saw the tops of houses all around. She also saw some particular people.

She was just about to get her gun out when...

 **ZOOM!**

Getting out of the way just in time by jumping down onto the lower layer, Hoshi looked up to see Nasu jump down as well. She got ready to run and put up a Shield, since she knew she couldn't win this fight, but that was stopped when she had to duck her head from a slash.

She kicked her foot up just as another hand was coming down and managed to redirect the other slash before looking passed the person and Teleport away. She quickly turned around to see that the person who had attacked was Katori herself.

She got ready to hold off both of them in order to allow her teammates time to reach her when...

 **BOOM!**

"Hope ya don't mind if I join, ladies!" Toby said as he kneeled between Nasu and Katori.

"Toby-kun!"

"Don't I got nice timing? Now that I'm here... Hoshi! Mind backing me up until Take gets here?"

"R-right!"

"Good... You can take on Yōko then!"

"Right!"

With no more words being said, the four fighters quickly got to work.

Katori pulled out her gun and started firing, but each shot had missed. Deciding close combat mixed with shots would be the best solution, Katori brought out a Scorpion and ran forward. She was expecting Hoshi to grab her Kōgetsu, but was shocked when she didn't.

Hoshi got up close just as Katori made another slash and pushed the hand away. She saw the older one get her gun ready to shoot and reacted by using the same hand to swat the gun away. She lifted her leg and landed a solid kick to Katori's chin before spinning and spamming her foot into Katori's stomach, sending her back.

Not relenting on the offense, Hoshi used Teleport to get to the unbalanced Katori and pulled her Kōgetsu out, but saw something from the side and somehow moved so that the shots fired at her went passed her.

She saw someone on the road above her and used Teleport to get on the higher layer. She saw that it was Wakamura, but didn't hesitate and went for a slash. The attack was blocked by a Shield and a counter was already in progress. This simply made Hoshi jump back and get her distance.

* * *

"Wow~ Looks like she's having fun." Toby glanced up at Hoshi as he dodged more shots from Nasu. "So would you mind telling me where Yūko is? I'll tell you where Take is."

"This isn't really the time to talk, now is it?"

Firing more shots, Nasu could see Katori running up behind Toby with two Scorpions in hand and thought it would be better to help the girl in this scenario. She made ths shots more close to each other, making Toby move to the side instead of making small moves.

Katori took this change to try and cut the brunet, but he was gone before she could get him.

Toby used Teleport to appear next to Nasu and deliver a kick to her side, sending her passes the end of the road and falling to the ground below. He saw three beams come up from where he had kicked her and grinned.

* * *

[Talk about fast paced. They're switching opponents left and right with no one bailing out and no major hits taken.]

[ _Yes, but that's because they're arranging who they're going to be fighting right now. The Kotowari vs Nasu battle is now starting while Taiyōko is apparently taking on Wakamura and Awdry is taking on Katori._ ]

[ **Wrong~** ]

[ _Hm? And how am I wrong?_ ]

[ **Sorry. You're not wrong about them choosing their opponents. It's just that you're wrong about who is fighting who.** ]

[ _And what do you mean by that?_ ]

[ **Just watch.** ]

* * *

Just as Toby was going to turn to Katori, he had to moved back before he would get cut by her blade. He smirked as he brought out his own blade and ran forward.

The two clashed with both moving around each other's attacks. Neither one had actually managed to land a hit on the other, so this was a simple back-and-forth. That is...until someone else was added to the mix.

Miura and Akane were laying in wait with the male on the layer under the two fighting with sword while the female was on the roof of one of the buildings. They boh fired with the intent of getting Toby.

Thanks to his Side Effect, Toby was able to dodge all the shots by jumping back. He was ready to find Akane when a wide, but clustered amount of shots were fired at him. He clicked his tongue and brought up a Shield.

That's when something amazing happened.

 **Trion limit exceeded. Bail Out.**

* * *

[...]

[...]

[ **...** ]

[ _ **... What?**_ ]

[Miura-tai just Bailed Out because of Awdry-tai, but how!? Can we get some help from our commentators!?]

[ _... I'm honestly questioning how that happened as well..._ ]

[ **Sorry. No clue what happened. Too bright.** ]

* * *

Toby and Katori just started at where Miura had been and wondered what had happened.

Allow me to explain.

Just as the shots connected with the Shield, it sparkled so brightly that no one could actually tell what happened. That being said, what actually happened was that the shots were quickly sent back at Miura so quickly that he couldn't react, and as a result, was forced to Bail Out.

"That...was...awesome!" Toby started with stars in his eyes. "This thing is-"

 **Trion limit exceeded. Bail Out.**

"Huh?"

In a flash of light, Toby was gone, leaving a very confused Katori.

* * *

[ _ **WHAT!?**_ ]

* * *

 _"WHAT WAS THAT ABOUT!?"_

* * *

QOTC: Favorite supportive Trigger?

* * *

 **Okay! Sorry is was short! Sorry it seemed all over the place! Sorry it was rushed! Sorry for any ooc-ness! Sorry for Wakamura! Sorry for continuing to right! Sorry for probably the worst start to a fight I've written! I didn't know how to start this one! I wanted to get to the fights already! I am so damn sorry!**

 **Bye! *quickly hides under covers***


	35. Kotowari Squad: Part 5

**So this is gonna be another short one, but the reasoning is at the hope you enjoy it.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own World Trigger and any Ocs are owned by their respective author.**

* * *

 **Chapter 35:** Kotowari Squad: Part 5

* * *

"I am so sorry... That's all my fault..."

Hoshi laid on the ground with a defeated aura around her as she spoke. She got an odd look from her opponent, who for one reason or another wasn't attacking, but didn't notice it.

 _"It's fine, really!"_ Toby said from the other side. _"I was just shocked, is all!"_

 _"Don't blame yourself. You did say they were just prototypes,"_ Takeshi reassured.

 _"Now may not be the time for this, but that helped me figure out a name for this Trigger!"_

Finally getting back up, Hoshi looked at Wakamura and got ready to attack as she placed a hand on her sword and pulled out her gun.

 _"It was sparkling so much when I used it that it_ has _to be called... Starlight!"_

'Starlight...'

Getting a smile on her face, Hoshi ran forward as she dodged the attacks from the Gunner. She used Teleport to get behind him and got ready to fire, but had to use Teleport again to dodge the slash to her neck from behind.

"Damn. I missed."

* * *

[So... What was that about?]

[ _Miura's attack didn't seem to reach Awdry, but... Shield doesn't have any effect that can make someone Bail Out..._ ]

[ **That was probably Hoshi's prototype Trigger.** ]

[Really?]

[ **She's been working on three new Triggers. That must have been one of them. While it was hard to see, it's pretty obvious what has happened.** ]

[ _... It deflected the shots and sent them back to the unsuspecting Miura..._ ]

[ **Bingo.** ]

[Well... Kotowari Squad gains a point for taking out Miura-tai while no one seems to get a point for Awdry-tai's Bail Out.]

[ **That would count more as a voluntary Bail Out, seeing as he took no hits and the Bail Out was because of something he himself used.** ]

[ _Hm. This is interesting. If they are using never-before-seen Triggers that are just prototypes then they may have the advantage._ ]

[ **Not necessarily. Remember, something can go wrong since they aren't complete. We just saw something like that happen with Awdry.** ]

* * *

 **ZOOM!**

 **BOOM!**

"Sorry, Nasu-senpai, but I'm gonna need to win now," Takeshi said as he blocked the girl's Viper with his beam.

"How...confident of you to say something like that," Nasu said as she fired more shots.

"Sorry if that sounded arrogant, but our princess is in a bind. With our 'knight' out of he fight now, the 'Mage' needs to go out and protect her."

With nothing more being said, the two continued to dodge each other's attacks while firing twice as many as the last attack.

Every now and then a shot from one of the Snipers would come by, but they easily got ignored and blocked without the two Shooters even knowing that they were coming.

Moving his arms in more large and fluid motions, Takeshi controlled the beams so that they seemed to just be attacking randomly. In reality they were trying to find opponents. When one hit a spot it could show him that neither Akane or Kumagai were there, so he moved to the next part.

He continued to do this while still fending off Nasu's onslaught of Viper. He moved in and out of the gaps between houses and used other things as cover while orbs firing laser-like beams were above the houses and firing all around.

Nasu tried to find exactly where he was, but he continued to use Teleport to confuse her. He switched the distances from long to short, making the intervals between teleports different and ever changing.

Seeing that his opponent still hadn't gotten a good grasp as to where he would be, Takeshi used Teleport to get behind Nasu and held his finger out towards her head. He was about to fire Asteroid, but a shot came from the side and got him in the head.

* * *

[Hiura-tai as finally fired and landed a shot to the head no less! That's one point for-]

[ **Wrong. Take a look again.** ]

[Huh?... Is that...]

* * *

Nasu went wide eyed when, instead of Takeshi bailing out, she saw a strap fall to the ground with a hole in it. She quickly turned around just in time to get an arm blasted off by a laser-like beam.

Takeshi landed on the ground and looked to see that one of the straps on his arm was missing. He figured out what had happened and smirked.

'So this is what Zanzō does, huh? That's a nice Trigger to use.'

Seeing some movement not to far off, Takeshi fired in the direction, but was blocked when a Viper hit the beam and changed it's direction.

"Suzume-senpai, Kumagai-senpai just passed by. See if you can get her to Bail Out. She's heading towards the overpass. We can't let our princess go up against that many opponents."

 _"Sure thing! Just leave her to me!"_

Focusing on his opponent again, Takeshi made a new orb appear behind his back as he tried to be careful with Sniper shots. He fired three beams at Nasu and moved one of the orbs into the air, above the two of them.

Nasu used Viper to deflect the beams enough to where she could dodge them. This was another weakness she found out about Takeshi's beams. While they were powerful and relentless, they were able to be deflected and redirected if someone focused enough and used their own Trion to move the beams.

That's not to say that they were completely stoppable.

Nasu clicked her tongue when one of the beams managed to get part of her leg. She didn't falter though and returned the attack, taking part of his arm. She saw a small sparkle off to the side and before she could tell Akane not to fire the Sniper let out her shot.

Takeshi saw this sparkle as well and used the orb he made behind himself to fire off the laser-like beam in the direction the shot was made. It exploded only a second after it connected. He saw Nasu start to move and took his change to use the orb in the air.

"Laser Circus."

One beam came down from the orb. Two branch beams came out of the first one. Four more came from each one. Eight more came from each branched one. This continued until a whole shower of beams were above Nasu and barely out of reach to get Takeshi.

Not wanting to be taken out with taking Takeshi with her, Nasu fired a final attack of multiple Vipers going in every direction. She was quickly blasted full of holes after.

 **Trion limit exceeded. Bail Out.**

 **Trion limit exceeded. Bail Out.**

Having had to focus of taking out the two female agents, Takeshi couldn't do anything about the last attack and simply clicked his tongue as he himself was quickly filled with holes.

 **Trion limit exceeded. Bail Out.**

* * *

[That's one point for Nasu Squad and two points for Kotowari Squad!]

[ _I wouldn't expect any less from Nasu. Even while being in a tight spot, she manages to score a point._ ]

[ **Now that just leave Kumagai to get some points.** ]

[If you wouldn't mind, I would like to ask about that move Kotowari-taicho did.]

[ **Ah. Right. That was probably another prototype Trigger.** ]

[ _This one seemed to mix Teleport with something else._ ]

[ **The strap took the hit instead to Kotowari, so I can assume that it does a fast Teleport to a set spot and leaves a sort of afterimage with a real object to take the actual hit.** ]

[ _These kinds of Triggers could be very useful if they were perfected._ ]

[ **Yeah, but these are also support-types for other Triggers.** ]

[I see... The first one we saw was worked by using Shield. The second one used Teleport... ]

[ **Exactly. Meaning the while the first one we saw can be used by anyone, apparently with a large amount of Trion, the second one can be used by agents who are well adept in using Teleport, such as myself or Arashiyama.** ]

[ _Interesting...]_

* * *

"I'm sorry! If I didn't take that short then you could have focused on taking Kotowari out!"

"It's fine. You didn't slip up at all. Kotowari-kun is just really observant of his surroundings, so he probably would have found you anyways." Walking up behind their Operator, Nasu looked at the screen. "Kuma-chan, sorry, but you're going to have to score the points from here."

 _"Alright. Just leave it to me. This time for sure, I'll get us some points."_

"She's the weakest one at long-range fights, so she'll have to be extra careful. Especially since Misaki is still out."

"Yeah, but the best opposing long-range fighter is out, so she won't have to worry about that!"

"I hope you're right..."

* * *

"Man... Sorry guys. Even with Hoshi's new Trigger, I couldn't get many points," Takeshi said with a sigh.

"You kidding!? That was great! You took out both Rei and Akane!" Toby said with a pat on the back.

"He's right. Although now Katori Squad doesn't have to worry too much about long-range fights, neither does Hoshi," Mei said as he continued to look at the screen. "And Toby's right. Taking out both their Shooter and Sniper was the best outcome you could make before having to Bail Out."

"Heh... Thanks... I guess." Walking up to the computer, Takeshi looked at the screen and sighed. "Hoshi, I'm giving you full permission now. Beat both of them and score us some points."

 _"Y-yes, sir!"_

"Senpai, please back her up, but still keep an eye and take out Kumagai-senpai."

 _"Sure thing!"_

"At least these fights don't seem to be going on for long..."

* * *

After getting the order from her captain, Hoshi felt excited at the idea of fighting Katori head-on. But that would have to wait until after she had taken out her new friend, and current opponent.

She was able to easily dodge their shots, but getting in close for the hits was the hard part. While she herself had a gun, she knew that it wasn't the best option against two of them. She jumped back and noticed she was at the edge of the multi-layer overpass.

She had gotten an idea.

Seeing the two closing in on her and still firing, she let out a small sigh and started to fall back.

The two from the same squad were shocked at this and quickly went over to start their firing again. When they got to the edge they were shocked to see that she wasn't there or on any of the lower levels.

'Now's my chance...'

Hoshi started down at the two from the air as they slowly realized what was going on. She grabbed her sword and in one quick motion she drew her blade, cutting up the ground and managing to take Wakamura's arm, along with his weapon.

Without warning, Kumagai was under the two falling agents with her Kōgetsu in both hands.

A shot was fire and got her foot.

This didn't stop her though as she slashes at the two.

Wakamura saw this and grabbed his captain's arm and tossing her to the side before getting cut in two.

"Damn!"

 **Trion limit exceeded. Bail Out.**

* * *

[That's another point for Nasu Squad!]

[ _Even whole being targeted, and taking a hit, Kumagai was able to take that point from Taiyōko. Not too bad._ ]

[ **Hm. Now it's a battle of girls. The only thing is that Hoshi has some backup, while the other two are alone here.** ]

[I can't wait to see how this turns out! Both Taiyōko-tai and Kumagai-tai have sturdy blades while Katori-taicho has multiple weak ones!]

[ **At this point it would be best for either Kumagai or Katori to go search for Misaki. With her using Lightning the distance is far, so even if those two find out where she is, they would still have a distance to cross.** ]

* * *

'I know how strong Katori is, but I still don't have a good grasp as to how strong Taiyōko is.' Kumagai tightened her grip on her Kōgetsu as she got ready for an attack. 'Regardless, she doesn't seem to be as strong as Murakami-senpai, so if we both go after her-'

Kumagai's thoughts were cut off when Hoshi was suddenly in front of her with her blade ready to strike and her gun pointing at the other girl.

"Wha-!?"

Thinking quickly, Kumagai blocked the strike and pushed her back. She went in for her own hit, but noticed that the younger girl was gone again. She turned around and switched her target.

Katori saw the switch from Kumagai and got ready to fire at her, but a shot came out of nowhere and took part of her hand, making her lose the gun.

Another shot was fired, making Kumagai jump back.

She noticed where the shot came from and fired some Meteora in the direction. Once they hit the building it exploded, but there wasn't a Bail Out.

While at the bottom of the layer the two girls were on, Hoshi cut the support beam under them, making that kart start to fall.

She saw the two were shocked by this and started jumping from one piece of falling bridge to another. She got her sword ready and went for Katori, only to be blocked by a Scorpion blade.

Kumagai came down from above and tried the same thing, but also got blocked. The difference was that Kumagai let out a Meteora after the block, making smoke go into the air as the shots collided with the rubble around them and the targets.

 **BOOM!**

As the smoke cleared, three figures could be seen.

The captain of Katori Squad. Katori Yōko.

The ace of Nasu Squad. Kumagai Yūko.

The new member of Kotowari Squad. Taiyōko Hoshi.

The three stood facing each other. One girl was unharmed since she had used a prototype Trigger, another one was missing part if foot and the last one was missing an arm and leaking Trion.

'Damn! I'm really pissed now!'

 _"Yōko, keep your cool! You can't go against them without some kind of plan!"_

'You shut up! You're the one who had to Bail Out before me!'

 _"To save your ass!"_

Ignoring her teammate, Katori brought out a Scorpion and got ready to attack again. She had planned to go after Hoshi, but decided it was an easier point to go after Kumagai.

'She's better than I would have though.'

 _"Don't let them get to you, Kuma-chan. Just focus. Katori is the most injured, so try and get her to Bail Out."_

'Yeah. Not to mention her agro is crazy. Alright. I'll score a point here and now!'

Kumagai got ready to attack Katori with her blade while she had Meteora ready for if Suzume decided to shoot. Determination filled her eyes as she remembered what had happened during her last match.

'Takeshi-kun... Can I ask you for permission to use the third Trigger?'

 _"Hm? Permission?"_

'Yes... Since it's still new, it might-'

 _"It might end up like what happened to Toby... Right?... Sigh. Alright. Go ahead and use it. It's your trump card to use."_

'R-right!'

Hoshi put her Kōgetsu on her opposite side at her waist and looked like she was going for a slash.

 **Clack**

As soon as the sound was heard, they got to action.

Both Kumagai and Katori went after each other, making them realize they had left Hoshi alone and able to strike either one. They both turned to see an amazing and beautiful sight.

"Fujin... Kōgetsu..."

As soon as those words left her mouth, seven green ribbons burst from Hoshi's Kōgetsu and moved behind her. To everyone it looked exactly like the Black Trigger it was modeled after.

Knowing at least the basics of how the original worked, the two girls got ready to dodge. What they didn't expect was for Hoshi to run straight at them.

With a solid push, Hoshi rushed forward. She had moved quicker than before, but that may have just been an reaction to her using Teleport and appear before the two in an instant.

Instead of directly attacking the two, she ran passed them while moving her sword just a bit. The first ribbon touched Kumagai's leg, cutting it off. The second one touched Katori's arm, cutting it off. The third one touched Katori's side, cutting that side. The fourth one touch Kumagai's arm, cutting it off. The fifth one touched Kumagai's arm, cutting it off. The sixth one touched Katori's leg, cutting it off. The seventh one touched Kumagai's side, cutting through it.

The two girls were shocked that it was used like this as their bodies started cracking up. Even with this damage though, they were still up long enough for their last attacks.

Having her back turned, Hoshi didn't see the Scorpion that was thrown at her and was quickly taken out from the blade going through her head.

 **Trion limit exceeded. Bail Out.**

Katori clicked her tongue as she fell to the ground and her body started breaking up.

 **Trion limit exceeded. Bail Out.**

Kumagai tried to stay up as he own face was breaking, but knew she was done for when she saw a shot fired at her.

She didn't want to go out without one last bang, and so fired Meteora at the direction the shot came from.

 **Trion limit exceeded. Bail Out.**

 **Trion limit exceeded. Bail Out.**

Two lights flashed threw the sky as they flew off, signaling the end of the match. With both lights flying away, that meant not a single agent had remained on the field to get any survival points. That also meant one team had made it through to the end.

The match was completely over.

* * *

QOTC: What do you think of the prototype Triggers?

QOTC2: Got any questions?

* * *

 **Alright! There ya all go! I've got a few things to say, so I'd appreciate it if you stayed.**

 **I'll start off with this chapter. If the match as a whole, or the separate fights, felt rushed then that's because they were. This match was more for Hoshi to shine. I hope she did. Anyways. Let's move on.**

 **Next is this story and some other ones. So Sick Snow's updates will be slowing down a little. Before you say anything about it, I just want to say that it's because I'm going to be working on two other large side story...stories... One will be a sort of canon-filler and the other will just be a fun one. They will both be on hm other account (StingerShip) for anyone wanting to read them. Like I said, the first one will still be canon, but also filler, meaning that it** ** _does_** **happen in the canon of Sick Snow, but is still technically filler.**

 **Now to the last thing.** **Small tidbit, but you'll probably be seeing my writing style change at times. It happened here.**

 **Sigh! That's all! I hope you all enjoyed! I hope you look forward to that other story! I hope you just continue reading! Until next time... BYE! *slithers back under covers* I'm sorry if it sucked!**


	36. Yagura Branch: Part 2

**And here is the next chapter! I have to admit that. Couldn't help but put a certain character in! I hope you all enjoy**

* * *

 **Chapter 36:** Yagura Branch: Part 2

* * *

[And with that cool finisher, the match is over! The final score is Kotowari Squad with 5 points! Katori Squad with 1 point! And finally we have Nasu Squad with 3 points!]

[ **That certainly was a match to see.** ]

[ _Shorter than any ones before, but in a real fight you try and take you opponents out quickly, so it works out._ ]

* * *

"Damn! Now that girl will be bugging me because of that." Katori let out a frustrated sigh as she glared at nothing particular. "This is really pissing me off now..."

"Whoa... I haven't seen her this mad before..." Miura commented from the monitor.

"I don't even know why that brat pisses me off! That's what pisses me off more!"

"Stop that already. She isn't the type to hold a win over someone." Wakamura never liked hearing his captain act like a brat or degrade others, but this time it really got to him.

"You're little crush on her doesn't help anything," the female captain said, turning her glare at the glasses boy. "Tsk. Idiots who deal with the whole 'love at first sight' things are really annoying."

"Wha!? I don't have a-"

"I don't care how much you deny it. It's obvious." Still glaring at the boy, she crossed her arms. "You two are made for each other. You're both people who can't understand the same damn things."

"Don't start with that crap again!"

"Hey now... Let's just calm down now," Miura said, not wanting the two to start completely going at it again.

"He's right," their Operator said. "Just calm down. They're about to do the recap and finishing comments now. You should both pay attention to this."

Both Wakamura and Katori looked at each other for a moment before clicking their tongues and looking at the monitor.

* * *

Kumagai walked towards the room's monitor where the rest of the squad was and let out a sigh. She was glad she was able to do more than their last match, but couldn't help the irritation that came up when she thought about how many more points she could have gotten.

"I was hoping to get Taiyōko as well... Sorry about that."

"It's fine, Kuma-chan. You were able to get those two points without either of our help." Nasu gave a sheepish smile as she continued. "If anything, we should be the ones apologizing. We were both taken out by one person and could only get one point this time."

"That was my bad," Akane said while looking down.

"We already said it was fine. Jeez," Sayoko said with an eye roll.

"You're opponent was Kotowari, so it's not that big of a deal."

"You were actually able to get points this time," Sayoko said, looking at the Attacker.

"Hey!"

* * *

"I'm sorry... I should have worked harder on fixing the prototypes..."

The rest of Kotowari Squad looked at the bowing Hoshi with indifferent looks.

"What the heck are you apologizing for? That was honestly an awesome match." Suzume put a hand on her hip and flipped her hair as she spoke. "Those prototypes were really useful."

"Yeah. Toby here was just to weak to keep going."

"Hey!" Turning back to the girl, Toby have a big grin and a thumbs up. "But Suzume's right, they were helpful! That last move you did was really awesome!"

Hoshi couldn't say anything back, seeing as how she continued to bow her head in order to hide her growing blush.

Mei just watched with a smile before turning back to the screen. She felt a large amount of pride at seeing them like this.

* * *

[Now where to start? Let's go with what you two thought of concerning the way the squads fought.]

[ _While the fights were short, they did show a little of what each team was actually thinking. It was obvious that Nasu Squad wanted to take some of the others out before going for Kotowari. That was obviously stopped when Awdry sent her right to him.]_

[ **Something that was a little interesting, yet not too different was how Katori Squad was. They probably took into account Hoshi's new prototypes from what Wakamura told them, but figured Kotowari Squad wouldn't use them since they weren't complete. But we should get to that part in a bit.** ]

[ _They did have the right idea sending both Katori and Miura after Awdry though. Wakamura wouldn't have been much use against his Side Effect, so him stalling Taiyōko was actually pretty smart._ ]

[By the way, couldn't he has shot at her while she was on the ground for a minute or so?]

[ _He could have._ ]

[ **I'm gonna have to talk to him about that later...** ]

[ _We can hear you._ ]

[ **As I was saying! It was smart of Nasu Squad to fight Takeshi with both their Shooter and Sniper!** ]

[ _You didn't say anything about that..._ ]

[ **While her shot did miss, it looked like Akane actually found a good time and spot to snipe from. She might have even gotten the shot if it was a different team.** ]

[ _I have to agree. From an unbiased opinion, Hiura could have gotten a good shot._ ]

[Now let's talk about the last fight and what everyone was amazed to see. Those amazing prototype Triggers.]

[ _Right. Let's go in order by starting off with the one Awdry used. As we mentioned during the time, that prototype seems to work along side Shield to have a defense_ and _offense at the same time. The fact the shots seemed to be fired back right away is a nice touch._ ]

[ **The obvious downside to it seems to be that it takes all of the person's Trion along with it. A one-time use like that most likely... No. It** ** _will not_** **be seen in a real battle.** ]

[Whoa. Such a serious tone from the guy with a sister complex that rivals Arashiyama-san's.]

[ **Wha-!? I don't have a sister complex!** ]

[ _Moving on..._ ]

[The next one that was used was the one from Kotowari-taichou. You said that it worked together with Teleport, right?]

[ _Tsukiko, you can take this one. You use Teleport more than most._ ]

[ **That's right. From what I could tell... The person can set something on them to take a hit while they use Teleport to get to a better spot.** ]

[Really? That sounds like a complete Trigger to me.]

[ **Well, with normal Teleport you have to look in the direction you want to go, so it's easy for a Sniper to find that's spot and shoot. That appears to be the case here as well. You have to have set those particular items beforehand to let them take the hit, but you still need to designate the spot you want to teleport to.** ]

[Oooooooh~ I see. Alright then. Let's get to the last one used by Taiyōko-tai herself. I'm sure it's safe to say that that one was modeled after the Black Trigger Fujin and works together with Kōgetsu, right?]

[ _That seems to be the case. It also looked like it suffers from the malfunction as the one Awdry used. Not only that, but until the actual Fujin, the slashes that come along with it can only be made if those ribbons touch the target. That means they can't be used for long-distance attacks._ ]

[ **On a small note, Hoshi actually has quite a bit of Trion and she could only manage to bring out seven ribbons. Even after being used, she was still on the field, as opposed to Toby having to Bail Out right away.** ]

[ _As for the fight itself... It was an all-out cat fight. The fact Kumagai was able to get Misaki was actually pretty amazing. Not only that, but Taiyōko held her own against two powerful opponents, with minor help from the squad's Sniper._ ]

[Alright then. Any last comments before we go?]

[ _None._ ]

[ **I've got one. Both Katori Squad and Nasu Squad did very well in this match. Even if they win it, they had plans to deal with everyone they were going against. On the other hand, Kotowari Squad was too careless.** ]

[Oh? Care to elaborate?]

[ **Gladly. Like I just said, the other two squads had plans for everyone. Kotowari Squad felt more like they were simply doing things to please their new recruit. From a scene I saw this week, I could tell they wanted to make sure that Hoshi fought against Katori. That wasn't a smart move. While it seemed to work out in the end, I can say for sure that if even one if them was taken out without taking anyone out then they wouldn't have gotten off so easy. While personal matter** ** _can_** **be settled here, they should keep on mind that things like that need to be pushed aside while out in the field.** ]

[And there you have it, folks! That ends this match! Thank you two for being here.]

[ **No problem.** ]

[ _My pleasure._ ]

* * *

There was silence.

The four who had just fought in the recent match were all thinking about what they had just heard. They took into account everything that was said and everything that was done.

"You all better not be thinking anything stupid." Mei looked at the four with an indifferent look. 'He's probably going to say something to me later about this whole thing as well...'

"No. We were just thinking that he was right," Takeshi finally said as he looked up. "We really should have stuck to our plan of having Taiyōko as backup instead of letting her face Katori and Wakamura."

"Ah! I'm sorry! That was my bad!" The other four looked over to the bowing Hoshi. "I was too childish and made you all get criticized by my bro-... You captain..."

"Ex-captain," Takeshi added. "And it's fine. We shouldn't have been so casual with the whole thing. Like they said, both Katori Squad and Nasu Squad planned for everything while we just went with the flow."

"Well you all can't change the past, but you can make sure it doesn't happen in the future."

"Yeah! Next time we'll _all_ be on the field and get those points!" Toby exclaimed as he jumped up from the chair he was on. "We'll make it to number 1 and challenge those A-Ranks!"

The others simply smiled at the brunet while thinking he was right. They would give it their all to make it to A-Rank so they could be on the same level as their ex-captain and other friends.

"Alright, alright. Why don't we go now?" Mei stood up and walked towards the door with a smile still in place. "I'll treat you guys to something."

"How nice of you. I'm sure that invitation is for us as well."

They were a little surpsied to see Yuki standing there with Noah, Midorikawa, Shana and Minubuki right behind him.

The four behind the A-Rank didn't waist any time and quickly ran in with the two males going up to Takeshi and Toby while the females went over to Suzume and get introduced to Hoshi.

"Well, well, well. You sure made it her quick. Did you use some shortcut so you could congratulate them?" Mei asked with a sly grin. "Good to know that you still care that much about them."

"Well from this recent match I could tell that you weren't doing much to keep them in line."

"You already know how they are."

As the two were talking they didn't notice the ones in the room looking at them and snickering.

Suzume had come up with something and told the rest of them, to which they all agreed. Letting out a small sound, Suzume started for the door while trying her best to keep her grin down.

"Well, I'd honestly love to treated by Mei-san, but we're actually gonna go and work on some covers!" Suzume quickly took her leave with the other two girls behind her and a yell of, "I'll see you around!"

"We're gonna go and see who we can bug." Toby ran by them like a dog chasing meat while Midorikawa and Noah just snickers as they went by. "Have fun!"

"Thank you for the offer, Senpai, but we're actually going to the Yagura Branch office to see the C-Ranks." Both Takeshi and Hoshi calmly left with a wave. "You two should do something together."

After seeing them all leave, the two remaining simply let out either a sigh or a small laugh. They didn't bother saying anything about it and simply started walking away. There wasn't anyone around, so they enjoyed the silence.

"By the way, that remark you made..."

"Hm? Which one?"

"'While personal matter _can_ be settled here, they should keep on mind that things like that need to be pushed aside while out in the field.' You wouldn't happen to have been speaking about you and a certain suit-wearing brunet, would you?"

"Tsk. I try not to even remember that guy. Hopefully the day never comes when I have to actually work with that guy alone." Scratching his head, Yuki let out a small sigh. "I still don't get how Minoru can get along with that guy."

"Hm. I think it'll be fine. While I personally don't mind the guy, I know that if it came down to it, you two could take out any opponent."

"I think you mean if us two work together. Like heck I'd even _want_ to work with him."

Mei let out a small laugh and said nothing more. While she did figure out what the B-Rank had landed when they left, and that what Yuki had just said could be embarrassing, she thought they were all nice gestures and tried to hold in her explosive embarrassment.

"..."

Noticing some off, Mei looked over to her friend and saw that he was looking very intently at her.

"Yes?"

Yuki opened his mouth to speak.

* * *

Hoshi walked happily through the Border HQ with Takeshi calmly next to her. They two had decided to just walk around a bit before heading over to the Yagura Branch.

Takeshi found it a little odd that his teammate would be walking so happily for no apparent reason. He let it go though since it wasn't really his business to begin with.

"Taiyō-... Er... Hoshi...chan. I've been wondering something."

"Hm? What is it?"

"It's about your Fujin." Seeing that she wasn't skipping anymore and just walking regularly with a halls look, he continued. "Do you think you can really get it to be like the real Fujin? I mean, it's a Black Trigger so..."

"No. Absolutely not." Ignoring the slightly shocked look from her captain, Hoshi continued while she put her hands behind her back. "My prototype Triggers will never be able to match up to an original Black Trigger. And that's why I love them so much. Ik not trying to make a replica of a Black Trigger, but rather... I'm trying to make a Trigger that can be useful and help other agents when fighting. I used Fujin as a model since it's another simple Black Trigger."

"'Another'?"

"Sensei's Black Trigger is a 'simple' one that was used as a model for Fuji-nee's personal Trigger and Kiyo-nii's Idōgetsu. While I didn't help in making them, they are still something I love seeing when in use." Doing a few twirls, she didn't hear the fast footsteps coming her way. "They way those two use those Triggers is amazing~! Fuji-née moves around like an elegant dance who can't be caught. Kiyo-nii switches from heavy hits to slashes like it's nothing and does it with such style that it's great."

"Hm. No offense, but you sure do sound like a princess when you speak and twirl around like that."

"None take-"

 **BAM!**

Takeshi quickly ran over when Hoshi was slammed into by another body.

Said body belong to the man who was still standing. He looked a little freaked out, but soon noticed Hoshi and bent down to her level.

"I'm sorry about that! I wasn't looking where I was going!"

"That's alright. Heh... Kinda reminds me of what happened when I met Waka-kun." Looking up while rubbing her head, Hoshi gave a reassuring smile.

"Here, let me help you up." The man held out his hand and lifted Hoshi to her feet.

Now that was was standing, Hoshi got a better look at the man. He was rather tall and had slicked back black hair. She got a small blush and ended up looking away while unconsciously playing with her hair.

'So handsome!'

"Ikoma-senpai, what were you even running for?" Takeshi asked as he turned to the man.

"Oh! I had heard a loud sound and went to go find what it was. That's when I saw _her_..."

"Is the pronoun game really _that_ popular...?" Takeshi asked with a deadpan expression.

"Takaoto! I saw Takaoto with her face all red! Kiyo was even knocked out at her feet!"

The two from the same squad simply turned their heads while seeming to try and lose the guy's gaze.

"Ah. Well... I'm sure he'll be fine... Kiyo-nii is use to this, I'm sure..."

"'Kiyo-nii'? Huh!? You're Kiyoshi's sister!?"

"Um... Yes?" Shaking her head a bit, Hoshi looked up at Ikoma again and gave a smile with her eyes closed. "Hello. I am Taiyōko Hoshi. It's nice to meet you," she said with a bow. "I am Kiyoshi-nii's little sister."

"Phew... So you're the better one."

"Hehehe... Yeah..." She gave a sheepish smile. 'I guess Kushi-nee _has_ made the kind of impression on most people...'

* * *

"Achoo!" Kushikage rubbed her nose as she looked around the bakery she was in. "Who the hell's talkin' about me?"

"Why the hell did you irritations bring me along exactly?" Sekai let out an irritated sigh as he looked around the bakery. He was standing next to Denji while the girl paid for a large cake. "You two deal more with any of those squads than I do. Besides, I have to get back before Jinsei starts spamming my phone."

"Du', jus' deal w'th i'. Ya c'n deal w'th yer boyfriend later."

"Say that again and I'll run you through with a pencil."

"Alright, ladies! Shut up and help me carry all these bag!"

"Such an irritation..."

* * *

The next day...

"So bored~~"

"Well you have to deal with it."

"But there's nothing to do. I'm not in the mood to train and both Sensei and Yuki are in a meeting."

"Like I said, just deal with it."

Shobu watched his two friends' back-and-forth with an indifferent expression. He had planned on training a bit, but he had to wait since Yuki said they would train when the meeting he and Akasora were in was over.

"By the way, I've been wondering." Kaze sat upright and pointed to the kitchen nearby. "There really is no point in having that here. The three of us aren't here much, Kushi-nee can't cook to save her life, the lazy bum doesn't even want to get up, Velvet is who-knows-where, Hoshi's with her new squad and Sensei just eats takeout. There really is no point in a kitchen being here."

"Now you're just complaint about pointless things," Ame pointed out. "What? Do you want some robot to make you home cooked meals? Better yet, an autonomous Trion Soldier?"

"That's not what I'm saying! I just don't see why the heck we need to use up the space for something like that!"

Shobu ignored the back-and-forth and opted to go out. It seemed the other two didn't notice as he hadn't been followed.

He decided that he would take a walk to the park that was nearby.

As he was walking he noticed something off. That something being a little girl with heterochromatic eyes running off before disappearing behind a building. He didn't give it much thought though and continued on his walk.

"Excuse me. Could you lead me to the Yagura Branch?"

"Huh? Oh, sure."

Hearing his branch's name, Shobu looked over to see a talk man in a suit. He looked to be talking to another agent. Deciding that he should help, since the agent didn't seem to know where the branch office was, he walked over to them.

"... I am from Yagura Branch... I can help..." Even when he tried to be confident, Shobu ended up looking at the ground.

"O-oh. That's good to here."

"Hm. You are a child." The man looked down at Shobu with a look as if he was seeing an insect. "I suppose that it you can get me to the branch office then it's fine." He took a glance to the agent next to him and added, "You. You will follow us there. That way you know the direction to go and not inconvenience others the next time you are asked this question."

"Y-yes, sir..."

"Now then. Lead the way, child."

Doing as he was told, Shobu started going back to his branch's office. He could hear the other two following and felt bad for the old boy that seemed to be dragged along by the older man.

"... Excuse me...sir..." Shobu started while still looking down. "... Our boss is out right now...to let you know... Can I...get your name...? ... To tell him that-"

"Stop with the pausing." Shobu jolted at this, but said nothing. "If you are an agent of Border than you should be self confident and hold your head up, correct? Looking down and slouching is rude anywhere, so I demand you stop that and look at me when we are speaking."

Shobu tried to do as he was told, but couldn't find it in himself to actually do it.

The other agent there gave him a pitying look, but was too intimidated by the older man to actually do anything.

"First that boy and now this child..." Letting a small sigh slip out, the man faced forward again. "My name is Henry Awdry. When your boss returns, tell him that I have come here to look around the different branches."

When they finally got to the office, the man looked around the outside for a bit and seemed to be taking mental notes. He shook his head before leaving without saying anything else.

That left the two agents to stand there.

"Ah... I'm sorry about that," the older one said. "I'm Sasamori Hisato, by the way. I've never been to this branch, so I didn't know the way. My bad."

"... It's fine... We're new, so..." Shobu continued to look down.

"What rank are you? I'm B-Rank myself."

"... C..."

"Well, as payment for all of this, if you even want some help with training then you can just ask me." He scratched his cheek and let out a sheepish laugh after that. "Although... I'm not particularly the best myself."

"... Alright... Thank you..."

Hisato gave a smile before taking his leave. He said he had to get to his squad and did just that.

Shobu got a small smile on his lips. He heard the door open and his two friends run out with panic in their voices. He calmed them down and told them he just went for a walk.

"Next time tell us this before we freak out, dude."

"Okay..."

He wouldn't be doing that for a long while.

* * *

QOTC: Which was your favorite prototype?

* * *

 **And there you have it. I hope you all enjoyed.**

 **Why Hisato? Because he didn't have anything to do and I couldn't find the right person after 5 minutes of thinking.**

 **The last part with Shobu was more of a filler thing since I didn't find a need to put in the meeting. Well... Most of this was filler, wasn't it?. On a side note, I had originally planned for Shobu to scare the crap out of Henry, but that got changed for no particular reason.**

 **Until next time... See ya!**


	37. Galopoula

**And here is the next one! Just to let you know, there's another filler part at the end of this one too. Feel free to just not read it. I hope you all enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 37:** Galopoula

* * *

'I honestly won't lose to those two...'

Suzume hid in a building as she looked around for a target.

She was currently in training with the other snipers. This training was Hide-and-Seek, meaning that each sniper was suppose to hide from each other and target each other. Bag worm was allowed, but was only used for aesthetics as none of them were allowed to use Radar.

She decided that for this training she would be using her Lightning for 100% hit shots. So far it was working as she currently had multiple shots on the others while having none on herself. She had some close calls, but ended up dodging and getting a counter shot.

'And that's Shouhei-kun down. Moving on-'

Before she could move to her next target, she was shot right where her heart was. A "315" appeared in the spot she got shot at, but it didn't really affect her as she just went on to move from her spot.

She made sure the area was clear enough to go before going down the stairs. As she did so, she spotted another unsuspecting target and got ready to fire. This target was Fubuki who, as of right now, was a target.

As soon as Suzume took the shot, that hit the other girl on the head, she herself got shot again. This time it was on her next. The number was "246".

'Please, please, _please_ don't be those two...'

She continued to move down the stairs as she prayed that the two shots she had taken weren't from two certain people.

She safety exited the building she had been in and moved over to a smaller building not too far from it. From there she found at least three more targets. She took the first two shots and managed to get both Taichi and Hokari on the cheek. She moved to her third target and got a shot on her mouth from Arafune. She returned the shot and got him on the side of his head.

'Damn... I was honestly doing well...'

* * *

"So it _was_ you who got me. Man~" Fubuki let out a small sigh as she stood with Suzume.

"Yeah. You were honestly too open. Next time you should probably take a quick look around before relishing in a shot."

"Guess you're right." Seeing the three marks on the other girl, Fubuki gave a grin and gestured for Suzume to get closer. "So you got shot on some... _interesting_ spots."

"Tsk. Honestly don't remind me. I'm fine with Arafune getting me, but not those two jackasses," the brunette said as she glanced at Satori and Narasaka.

"That's not what I meant." Fubuki saw her friend raise an eyebrow and gave a small giggle. "Satorin got you on the boob, well it's more like the _heart_. Tōrin got you on the _neck_. Tetsurin _got you on the_ ** _lips_**."

"..." Getting what the other was talking about, Suzume started getting a blush. "H-honestly! That's because they're jerks! They probably, _honestly_ , thought it would be embarrassing for me to be seen like this! I don't care! I honestly don't care!"

"Wow... You repeated that..."

Ignoring her friend, Suzume turned around. It was more so that could hide her blush from her. She took another glance around to see that the three that had shot her were turned away and that Ema, Izuho and Chika were leaving.

"It's not like it's impossible... I mean he's... But then again..."

Hearing a familiar voice, Suzume looked forward to see Mei walking by.

Now that isn't really anything special, but she had dazed look in her eyes and she walked like she didn't even know she was walking. To go along with that she was mumbling to herself while a light pink dusted her cheeks.

Getting a cat-like look on her face, Suzume practically skipped over to the Operator.

Seeing her walk off, Fubuki got a grin and turned around.

"Tetsurin, come here for a second!"

For her part, Suzume snuck up behind Mei and tapped her shoulder.

"Mei-san, are you okay?"

"H-huh? Oh. Suzu..." Mei's who expression quickly turned dark as she grabbed Suzume's head in a vice grip and a purplish aura seemed to go over her. " **You better not have anything to do with this, Suuuuuzuuumeeebaaachiiiiii...** "

Being completely scared out of her mind, Suzume could only come up with small whimpers. She couldn't see anyone else right now, but she just _knew_ that they were either watching while shaking, looking away in a cold sweat or running away like the devil was right behind them.

"Wh-wh-what a-are you t-t-talking-g ab-bout, M-Mei-sama...?"

Mei glared down at her for a few more seconds before releasing her hold and letting out a small sigh. She turned her head as her blush grew and muttered something under her breath.

"I'm sorry...?"

"I said that Kiyoshi-"

Meanwhile...

"And that's how it is." Fubuki patted Arafune's shoulder before walking away with a grin on her face.

She, along with with everyone else around, saw the terror of Mei be unleashed for a few seconds. She got over it quickly though and finished up what she had to say to the male agent. She was now making her way over two other males.

She was about to reach one of them when she heard a loud yell of "Oh honestly hell to the yes!" She turned around to see Mei holding Suzume's mouth with the dark aura from before back. It went down as the two continued their talk and Arafune walking up to them.

Turning back to her targets, Fubuki walked up to Narasaka first before making her way over to Satori. She whispered something in their ears before stepping back and watching the show.

Back with Suzume...

"This is honestly a great day~~~" Turning to Arafune, who had just asked something, Suzume grinned as she flipped her hair. "Alright then. I'll meet up with you later."

Nodding his head, the older agent took his leave.

That just left the two female agents there.

Suzume quickly turned back to Mei with a large grin on her face as the older girl on a blush on her cheeks again. The Sniper was careful to make sure her friend didn't get too embarrassed, or else she would end up as a puddle in the building that would need to be cleaned up.

"So? What's your honest answer?" Suzume asked as she bounced on her spot.

"I...don't know... I mean... I guess I'll... I don't know..."

Mei ducked her head as she started to sway a bit.

Seeing the other start to sway, Suzume took a step back and gave a nervous laugh.

"W-well... I think it would honestly be best to give you some time...to think..." Starting to turn around, she noticed two particular snipers walking her way. "Well, I'll see ya later, Mei-san. I'm gonna honestly see if I can find something to do before meeting up with Arafune-kun.

"R-right..."

Fully turning around, Suzume started to walk straight towards the two who were heading for her. She kept a grin in place as she walked.

"Suzu-"

"Misa-"

Without any warning, Suzume kissed her palms. She ended up slapping both on the face as she walked by them.

"Sorry, but even you two honestly can't get me down now."

With that, she strutted away with a flip of her hair. She walked like a person who had just own against a powerful foe and even gave the aura of it.

The two males touched their cheeks with wide eyes. They hadn't expected that at all and so were too shocked to do anything else.

* * *

During that same time...

" **Distance left from contact with Miden borders is 800."**

In a ship headed straight for Border multiple people waited.

"In the end, Rhodochroun didn't join us," a voice said as the body it belonged to came down a latter. "We were looked down upon."

"It's probably because they don't have the spare manpower to send. But they will be sending out Trion Soldiers in their place," another voice said.

"In the end, it's still just some Dogs. This compensation is way too cheap."

"No. Apparently they'll send some Idras over as well. We also have the new Triggers, so it should be fine."

"I don't like those new types... We should have just asked those Wanders to help us out. I'm sure they'd love to do one of their 'tests'."

The two entered an open, but small, space that had six others in it. In total, including the two that just came in, there were four girls and four guys.

"Good work." The one who spoke was a large man, and the only one standing. "Alright. Let's reive our mission objectives one last time."

The two that just came in too their seats as their captain started the review.

As they started an image of the Border base showed up, getting everyone's attention to it.

"Aftokrator's orders are to 'hinder' Miden. Our job is to deal a certain amount of damage and make Miden's forces unable to launch a counter attack. The specifics of how we are to do this are up to is." The captain himself now focused on the image. "Now then, this time, I have decided to launch an attack on the Miden HQ."

"Attacking the opponent's HQ with our meager numbers? We're not attacking the city area?" The one who had asked the questions was one of the two who had come down and into the room.

"Then that means," said the other one who came down, "our targets are the Trigger users within the HQ?"

"No. Our target is the HA itself. We won't capture any humans."

"Not even 'hatchlings'?" asked one if the females.

"That's right."

"But why?" The final man spoke up. "Captain Gatlin, if we kidnap Trigger users it will cause actual damage to Miden. It will also fulfill the command of holding them off given to us by the Country of Gods."

"It's sounds like it would also let us give a good performance," another girl said. "Aftokrator grabbed 20 or so people in their invasion, right~? It'd be good to follow up that kind of opening with our own."

"If we attack normal Miden citizens right now it will cause the Miden forces to focus more heavily on our country." Seeing that they finally understood, Gatlin continued. "And because Galopoula's orbit is closer to Miden right now..."

"So Aftokrator's real motive is for us to attract Miden's attention?"

"That's what I think."

"What a bunch of puckered up assholes," the third girl commented.

"Miden defeated four Black Trigger experts from Aftokrator. Even though strategically they had a home advantage, this still proves their prowess for battle. We don't need to appease Aftokrator and attract unwanted attention from this kind of opponent."

"Even if Miden decided to attack us it won't be a problem."

"It's difficult to say considering the future, Reghi. Miden has been developing quickly Ives the last few years."

"Our country is too small. We can't afford to go around making enemies."

"Even though we want to make sure we don't get targeted, but the order to 'hinder' them must he completed," the one who spoke was the second voice person. "So that's why you've chosen to go after the HQ."

"That's exactly right. Destroying key military assets will put a stop to Miden's troops."

* * *

The new Operator for the Yagura Branch, Velvet was hiding behind a building, her eyes leaving the pair of binoculars.

She hid pbehind a tree near a park. She had been bored at the branch office and so decided to go find something to do. She _did_ have things to do in the office, but she found it boring. Now that she was out she had thought she found a scene that was interesting enough, but...

Showing a dirty look as she held the binoculars with one hand, Velet silently said, "…How boring."

Regarding this comment, the guy beside her, Toby, was pretending to read a magazine while nodding his head in agreement.

"That Hoshi… She's been talking about her new creations all this time, not even going on the offense. Suzume would have a heart attack if she saw this."

"Yeah, she's with a smokin' hot guy like that and she's just going on and on about who cares what! Looks like she's forgotten about the greatest weapons on her body."

"What's her greatest weapon?" the boy, Midorikawa, asked as he continued to pop popcorn into his mouth.

Velvet rummaged through the bag she had and pulled out a whiteboard and a marker. After that, she wrote the correct answer on the whiteboard and showed it to the two.

"Yes, that's her hidden breasts!" Velvet widened his eyes as she said this.

Why these three were together was something you would have to go back in time to figure out.

Toby and Midorikawa had been walking down the street with the intent of playing a game of soccer at the park, but had ended up seeing the girl stalking their friend.

When they had went over to talk to the Operator they noticed Hoshi was with Ikoma on the other side of the street.

Now Toby knew that Takeshi had something to do, so he told them they would have the day off from training. But he didn't expect to see those two, of all people, standing together and talking.

Both of the male's interest were piqued when they saw a light blush on the girl's cheeks. And so the three were now secretly looking at the two to see if anything went on.

"On what basis do you make this hypothesis?" Midorikawa asked, trying to sound smart.

"According to what Kushi-chan told me, she actually wears very modest clothing to hide her breasts since she thinks they would stand out if she didn't. What's more is that I have actually felt them up before. They were much larger than I would have ever expected."

"If so, this means…"

A two boys swallowed their saliva.

Velvet seriously nodded her head. She gathered all of her energy in his abdomen before declaring in a high-pitched voice, "Yes, she has been hiding those lumps of fat from the world this whole time!"

Both Toby and Midorikawa couldn't help the image of Hoshi with a tighter fitting outfit on that appeared in their heads. The two started discussing the idea of getting the squad's outfits changed to fit tat heir idea.

"But the sad truth is that she's still too passive." Velvet let out a small sigh as she shook her head. "What's more is that Kiyo-kun would probably kill whoever tried to get with her. However..."

"However...?"

Velvet unveiled an evil smile as she grabbed the forgotten soccer ball nearby.

"This will still be entertaining. Now then! I will show you how strong the great Nakagami Velvet-sama can be when it comes to kicking balls!"

* * *

Wakamura let out a frustrated sigh as he walked down the street. His captain went on saying things about 'natural talent' again during their practice.

He never enjoyed those times.

He had survived the practice and excused himself right when it was over.

During the time he had been walking he remembered that he had told Hoshi he would help her out in testing yet another new prototype Trigger she was making. She had said she was still working on the actual idea behind how it would be used, but she said his help would be great.

The prototype was for Gunners after all.

Thinking back to the girl, Wakamura got a small smile. He always enjoyed being around her, so he knew he would cool down when he went to go see her.

As he was walking he just so happens to see a group of suspicious people beside a little cinema. Two of those people he recognized as Toby and Midorikawa. The third was a mystery to him.

The mysterious girl placed a soccer ball on the ground. She got a grin on her face as she did a little start up run before kicking the ball forcefully.

The forcefully-kicked ball soared, spinning end over end, making a sharp arc. If it were a proper match, it was most likely that this free kick would have passed over the defense's wall and headed into the goal.

Wondering what the three were doing Wakamura followed the ball with his eyes and froze when he saw who it was headed for. He didn't even have time to call out to the people it was aimed at.

With a crisp sound, the back of Ikoma's head collided heavily with the soccer ball. Most likely because of the impact from the soccer ball, Ikoma's head sunk deeply into the valley of the chest of the girl who was talking in front of him.

Being in a daze, Ikoma wasn't sure what had just happened, so he kept his head in the place it had landed. Hoshi looked like she didn't know what to do and blushed before rubbing on the part of his head that had been hit. This whole scene just looked like something straight from a manga, making it even more unbelievable for Wakamura.

Because of the sudden series of events, Wakamura was unable to say anything. At this moment, shouts of 'bravo!' could be heard. Looking at where the voices were coming from, it seemed like the girl who had made that free kick and those young boys were happily giving high-fives to each other.

Getting another irritated look on his face, Wakamura thought of storming over to the three.

"What the hell are you three doing!?"

After noticing the boy, the mysterious girl and company immediately dispersed, and in the next moment, vanished without a trace. Like a chameleon mixing into the crowd, they could not be found by him. Wakamura had to wonder if they used some Trigger or just a shortcut.

Yet even after losing his target, his anger wasn't kept in check.

He quickly turned over to the two were still in the same position as before and made his way over to them.

Jealousy was never a pretty thing.

* * *

QOTC: Who honestly cares for these little filler-y parts?

* * *

 **And there you have it! I hope you all enjoyed!**

 **Oh, and just to let you know, that last part was inspired by a part in the To aru series.**

 **Oh yeah, next time we will most likely start the next invasion(?). Also, there might be things you won't understand unless you read certain parts of the side story. Nothing major though, so it should be fine.**

 **Until next time... See ya!**


	38. Galopoula: Part 2

**Damn! 38? Alright! I hope you all enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 38:** Galopoula: Part 2

* * *

"This is gonna be soooo much fun~~!"

"Kushi-nee, we need to focus~"

"Both of you, shut up."

Mei let out a long sigh as he stood ready with the ones from the Yagura Branch, along with a few others like Midorikawa and Tsuji. She had been told that she wouldn't be needed as Kotowari Squad's Operator and so was sent out as a Combatant with the Yagura Branch.

They had been told that most of the battle would take place in certain areas, but were still sent out to the sides just in case. If they were needed elsewhere then they would be told where to go and assist in the battle.

As she thought about where everyone was she couldn't help but think that there really wasn't any way for the Neighbors to get by. The Snipers at the top would try to take any soldiers out. If they _did_ manage to get by that then they would have to deal with skilled A-Ranks and B-Rank agents - her included.

They had been told they would going with Plan A - defending the base and not needing to wory about the city - and so they got ready to defend the base.

It was just them waiting at this point.

Until...

 _"Trion Soldiers incoming!"_

* * *

They stood ready. The Snipers of Border were ready with their Triggers out and waiting for the enemy to make their move. It was their job to keep any enemy at a distance for as long as they could. They simply had to get the order.

That came in the form of an announcement.

 _"Trion Soldiers incoming!"_

"Control, this is Kakizaki. Snipers are in position."

"This is Touma. We are ready as well."

The ones at the top of the Border Headqurters looked through their scopes to see exactly what they would be shooting at. They didn't really know what to expect, so they were a bit surpsied at what they saw.

Idra. Human-like soldiers that were making their way to the base in a large number.

Those numbers would be diminished by the Snipers. It was their job. They would get it done.

"This will be difficult," Hokari commented from next to his teammate. "The targets are too small."

"And there are so many. It's gonna be hard to handle."

They waited for their moment.

They waited for the moment those human-like Trion Soldiers made it within their range.

That's when they would show their stuff as Snipers.

"Approaching firing range... Engaging the enemy."

They shot with everything they had. They aimed for the right spots and unleashed a bombardment of bullets with the intent of destroying each one before they could make it too far.

That was the plan at least.

What they hadn't expect was for the human-like Trion Soldiers known as Idras to gather together and put up shields to defend from the shots. With all of the Sniper using either Egret or Lightning they weren't able to penetrate the defenses.

"Oh? That's a neat trick. Pretty smart, aren't you guys? Opening several shields at once to block."

"Are these cooperative type soldiers...?"

"Let's just honestly take them out."

They didn't relent. It was their job to hold back those cooperative-type, human-like Trion Soldiers known as Idras for as long as they could.

With all of the shots being fired from those places anyone would think they were putting on a light show.

They weren't the only ones though.

Gunners at the bottom of the base started firing as well. They would break through the shields and destroy the Trion Soldiers making them.

"C-c-c-can't hold them back! W-w-w-what do we do!?"

"Concentrate fire on one of them at a time and destroy them!"

"Ok! Starting from the left!"

"Then I'll start from the right."

Some of the Snipers changed to using Ibis while others continued to fire rapidly to destroy the defenses.

The Trion Soldiers couldn't do much against the rain of bullets that destroyed their defenses before reaching and destroying them.

Whether it was from the Snipers at the top or the Gunners at the bottom those Trion Soldiers that continued their march got destroyed by those long-range shots they couldn't reach.

As they were firing, the Border agents didn't notice that someone had used a rocket launcher (or fireworks launcher) to fire something into the air, straight at the top of the Border Headquarters.

It wasn't until a new rain fell upon the Snipers that they noticed it.

Some put up shields while others just tried to dodge them all together.

That's when it happened.

"Gates...?"

"Something is coming out!"

Multiple dog-looking Trion Soldiers started to come out of the Gates that had just been made. They started heading for the Snipers when...

Slashes.

Punches.

Stabs.

"Whoa! The three best close ranged Snipers!"

"How reliable~"

Those were what was used to take out multiple dog-like soldiers that were crossing through.

"These things don't bite, right? I hate dogs."

"Oh, honestly. Is that _honestly_ all these things've got? Our Dog Trio can do much better."

"Ordering the agents below to repress momentarily," Reiji said from his spot above a fallen Dog. "Without the cover from the a Snipers you will be overwhelmed by their sheer numbers!"

 _"Roger!"_

* * *

While the Border agents were busy with the Trion Soldiers, the humanoid Neighbors continued on with their plan. Three of the Neighbors that had been disguised as Idras made their way to the wall of the base and created a hole to go through.

Once the three made it into the base they took off their disguises and started to make theirs way through the base.

"Everything is going according to plan. This'll be done in ten minutes."

The three started to run. When they did they noticed that deadends were being made in the halls, making them have to change their directions at times.

 _"They're inside. Updating the building's layout data. I'm sending you the directions to our target."_

"We'll take the shortest route," Gatlin said. "Avoid engaging enemies if possible. If anyone comes after us, we will stop them."

"Roger, Captain."

"Rata and I will destroy the target."

"Roger."

"Regi and Koskero, draw Miden soldiers to you."

 _"Roger!"_

 _"Understood."_

"Kigisa and Shi Muon, go from behind and take out some of the soldiers."

 _"Okay~"_

 _"Yes, Sir!"_

"Yomi, you're there for overall support."

 _"Yes, Sir."_

"Captain Gatlin," Ratarikov started. "I just wanted to confirm one more time. If we come across a captive from Aftokrator in this base... The order is, 'we don't need to rescue them. We can dispose of them if they interfere.' Is that right?"

The others waited for the answer. They waited to hear what would need to be done. They didn't wait more than three seconds.

"That's Aftokrator's official position, yes... We have a recording of the conversation as well."

Before they could continue talking, Ratarikov noticed something from the corner of his eyes. The other two quickly noticed it as well.

That something was the Elite Agent known as Jin Yuuichi with the Black Trigger Fujin.

The three running stopped when they saw him make slashes with the powerful Trigger. They could see the slashes running across the ground and walls. They brought up shields to block each slash. Not a single one of them was hit.

Moving to one of the walls, Ratarikov placed a device on the wall, making a whole in it.

The three made their way through the hole before letting it close.

* * *

The Snipers on the roof of the Border base continued their counter against the Dogs that were keeping them from helping the ones below. Even with the three attacking Snipers out they were still in need of assistance.

That was exactly what they got.

Tsuji and Midorikawa landed on the roof and quickly took out multiple Dogs. They were greeted with comments from Akane and Touma.

"The Attackers, Arafune, Misaki and I will take the Dogs! Everyone else aim down below!"

With a simultaneous "Roger!" the Sniper went back to firing at the soldiers below."

* * *

Gatlin, Ratarikov and Wen Sō, the three who had made it into the base, continued to run while staying alert to any attacks like before.

Noticing something behind them, Wen Sō turned her upper-body as she ran and brought up a shield to block the shots that were headed for them from behind.

"Shots from behind," she informed the other two. "They're after us."

"Can we lose them?"

Wen Sō took a quick looked behind as the three turned a corner and entered a large, open area. She didn't see anything as was going to tell the other two as much, but was shocked and brought up a shield when shots quickly followed them and turned the corner.

She didn't think the shots would be so accurate. She didn't even think they would be able to turn the corner. In the end it didn't matter to her though as she stopped and spoke.

"This is annoying. I'll stop them here."

"I'll leave it to you."

Completely Turing to face her opponents, Wen Sō put her arm behind her back.

"Neighbor in sight. Two of them got away."

Nasu Rei and Kumagai Yūko, the Shooter and Captian of Nasu Squad and Attacker of Nasu Swuad. These two B-Rank girls were the ones who were now going against Wen Sō, one of the Neighbors who had made it into the Border base.

Wen Sō didn't back down in the slights. She faced the two while multiple Dogs came through small Gates. She would do as she said and stop the two B-Rank girls.

"Come on. Little girls."

"Engaging enemy!"

* * *

"I should focus on the long-range fighters first. After that I'll move on to the close-range ones."

Kigisa nodded to herself as she hid behind a building. She could see the Border agents firing at the Idras that were heading towards them and thought up a plan to take them out one by one.

It was her job to lay low and pick off the Miden soldiers so that the Idras could get closer to the base. Since that was her job she would get it done. Or so she thought.

"...!?"

Seeing something large heading for her, Kigisa jumped to the side and into the middle of the road. She saw more large somethings heading for her and continued to jump back while putting up a shield to bloke the attacks.

As she did this something caught her eye, making her jump up and onto a roof.

What had caught her attention was Yuki ready to slice her in half with Idōgetsu.

She couldn't stop to think though as something came flying at her from above.

She was able to move to the side, but was shocked when the empty house she was above was destroyed.

She saw something spring up from the dust that was made and decided to block the attack instead of dodging it. She saw why that was a mistake when the one who was attacking her was able to easily destroy her shield. She did manage to move to the side and miss anything vital.

"Hey, Tora-san, we've got one of the Neighbors here with us."

Tsukiko Yuki and Takaoto Mei, the #1 and #3 do destruction, were there, ready to take out their current target. They were A-Rank agents who had done the most amount of damage in a fight in all of Border. They were partners in crime that wouldn't be caught or beaten.

That didn't mean Kigisa wouldn't complete her job. As a matter of fact, she thought this was a great opportunity for them. She would win.

"Hey, we're gonna beat her now, 'kay?"

"Just try it, brat."

* * *

Shi Muon could clearly see the Border agents that were attacking the Idras.

She herself had a few with her. She got ready to go on the offensive and attack a group of them with her Trigger. Her job was to take out the agents to let the Idras get closer to the base. That was exactly what she was planning on doing.

Behind her was a large object that was the size of an advertisement truck with speakers on either side of it. It had a single cord coming from the side of it that attached to a megaphone-like microphone. The megaphone-like microphone was being held by Shi Muon.

This was her Trigger.

"Let's give them a show. It'll at least distract them from the Idras."

Just as Shi Muon was about to let out a loud yell into the megaphone-like microphone multiple shots headed for her.

The Idras that were with her go in front of her and the large advertisement-sized Trigger before putting up a defense to block the shots.

Two blue plates appeared on the sides of defenses. Two of the Idras turned themselves to the side and brought up a defense to block the blades that were meant to cut them in half. The ones that were still in the front blocked an attack from the scythe and sword that were in front of them.

"Damn! Back up!"

"I don't think SOOOOOOOOO!"

The Idras and Shi Muon jumped up as soon as Shi Muon let out a yell into the megaphone-like microphone. A large shockwave came from the advertisement truck-sized Trigger, knocking the agents back.

 _"What was that just now?"_

"This is Noah. My squad and B-Rank Tsukiko Squad have found one of the Neighbors. She has five humanoid Trion Soldiers with her."

 _"Do you need backup?"_

"Nah. We're fine here. Just leave these ones to us." Cutting off the line, Noah tightened his grip on his Kōgetsu and spoke to the other agents with him. "(Prince) is with the other Snipers, so it's just gonna be us. That Trigger is massive and long ranged, meaning I'm leaving the Neighbor to your squad and Minu, Maya. I'll take on the Trion Soldier."

"Right. Just leave her to us."

"Hold on. I'm no good with long range, so I'll help Noah out."

"Okay. Make sure not to Bail Out, Shay."

"I won't!"

* * *

"Oh. Spotted a Neighbor."

"Target confirmed."

Miwa and Yoneya, two A-Ranks from Miwa Squad, took action right as they saw the target. They started rushing towards him, getting the target's attention.

Koskero could see the two heading for him and prepared for the fight that was to come.

Yoneya leaped from the roof of one of the houses and went to stab Koskero. He was blocked and jumped to the side so that Miwa could fire some shots from his gun.

One if the Dogs jumped in front of the shots.

Koskero tried to attack Miwa, but missed.

He could see Yoneya going in for another strike and lifted his left arm, which was covered in a jelly-like substance.

The jelly-like substance started to cover the tip of Yoneya's spear.

Noticing that the Idras were now going after him, Yoneya turned around and tried to cut off one of their head.

"What the...?"

He was shocked when he wasn't able to cut the head off because of the jelly-like substance that was over his spear. He ended up having to jump back to dodge the attack. He landed next to Miwa.

 _'That shield is interesting,_ ' Yoneya noted as he moved behind Miwa. _'This blade won't be able to cut anymore_.'

Seeing that the Idras were moving forward, Miwa pulled out his gun again. He could clearly see the Trion Soldiers put up their shields, but didn't mind at all.

He had bullets that could go through them after all.

The Idras were quickly covered with lead 'anchors' from the bullets that were able to pass through their shields. Now that their movements were slowed, Yoneya came from above and stabbed them through the head.

He landed on the ground and moved his feet a bit to go for Koskero.

Koskero brought up his arm that was covered in the jelly-like substance up to block the attack.

"!"

Koskero moved back after getting his leg cut off by a sparse attack from Yoneya's new spear.

 _'Yomi. Can you change the attack patterns of the Idras? There's someone with bullets that can pass through shields.'_

 _"Roger. Should I go in too?"_

 _'No, I'm fine here. Watch over Reghi. The Miden soldiers are gathering."_

* * *

Eri, Minubuki and Maya jumped to the sides to dodge the invisible shockwave headed for them.

Eri let out shots of Viper just as the shockwaves ended and watched them head for their target.

Minubuki followed her lead and brought out her gun to start firing Hound. She tried to get closer from the left while Maya came up from the right.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

The three were blown back by another invisible shockwave. They didn't see a single hit land on the Neighbor. It didn't help that Maya wouldn't have a chance of getting a hit in unless she was able to get in close.

Both Eri and Maya were strong enough to be considered the squad's Ace, but that didn't mean they were as strong as other agents. They were still a B-Rank squad on the mid to lower end of the Mid Teir area.

Minubuki on the other hand was the second strongest of the Shor Squad, the squad were was in the mid to high range of the Mid Teir area. Her wild nature wasn't a good fit for the strategic Eri, but she was the only other one there who had long range attacks.

The three tried to advance further towards the Neighbor standing her the advertisement-sized Trigger, but they had to keep a distance from the shockwaves it produced.

On the same battlefield Noah and Shana, two American agents, were having a bit of trouble with the five Idras that they had to face. The two were better at combos than Eri and Minubuki since they've practiced before, but that didn't mean they were in the clear.

Noah was the captain and ace of his squad, meaning he was the strongest. If he was having trouble with these Trion Soldiers who's attack pattern changed then his teammates wouldn't be much help. His Side Effect allowed him to have hype focus on opponents he was facing, but that was only up to three targets.

Shana on the other hand had powerful attacks using her American scythe Trigger, but it also slowed her down with its weight. She had taken to using Grasshopper to move around more easily, but that didn't mean she able to take the Trion Soldier out easily.

There was a third American by the name of Toby Awdry, but he was elsewhere right now. The three Americans were strong on their own, but the combos they had made would be difficult to get by. Each covered an area another was weak in.

But only two of those three were currently there.

 _'Damn! I can't keep focus if they change attacks like this! The sooner we get this done the sooner we can help the other girls out!'_

 _'I know that! The fact they put their shield together doesn't help any! Even my Kawarini can't break through them!"_

Starting to get frustrated with the fight, Shana went for another head-on attack. She was blocked by the combined shield of three of the Idras.

A fourth one came up from behind to take her out.

Noah was able to push back the fifth one and use Grasshopper to move himself and cut the head off of the one attacking Shana.

"That's one down, but... Four more is still an issue..."

* * *

"Behind you."

"I know. To your right."

"Gotcha."

Yuki and Mei easily moved to dodge and block hits from the few Idras that had come up to attack them. That only that but they were able to keep away from the small spore-like things in the air that floated around them.

Kigisa was just wide eyed at how smoothly they did all of this. They had been able to take out three Idras and five Dogs. They could even push back her Trigger.

Said Trigger took the form of six "vines" coming from her back with thorns on them.

That Trigger was meant to let out relentless attacks from all angles so that the target wouldn't be able to escape, but these two were also to swat the "vines" away with their blades and fend off the Trion Soldiers.

What's more was that they hadn't even touched a single one of the spore-like things floating around them. Those spore-like things were meant to weight down the target - like Border's Lead Bullets - by making thorns appear on anything they touch. That was thrown out the window as a plan when the two continued to love around and create small breezes that would push the spore-like things away.

"They're...not even going after me..."

 _"Kigisa, do you need me to join in?"_

"H-huh? Oh! No! I haven't shown them everything I've got yet! Just leave this to me!"

 _"..."_

"Tsk. These two..."

Two more vines "sprouted" out of the back of Kigisa's back.

She gave the mental command for all eight vines to rush at the two. Four were to go for Yuki while the other four were for Mei. She wouldn't hit the Idras, but she would use them as distractions to get the hit.

Again, the two A-Rank agents were able to fend off the vines while also dodging the Idras.

They didn't target Kigisa yet. They find a real reason to yet. They knew she was a Neighbor, but they thought that the Idras were currently putting up more of a fight than she was. So they didn't give her much attention.

They had faced stronger opponents than her.

* * *

Multiple Dogs rushed at Nasu and Kumagai.

Wen Sō contniued to bring out Dogs while Nasu shot out multiple Vipers and Kumagai cut through them.

The Dogs were able to block a few shots from Nasu, but would get destroyed the next moment by their an onslaught of shots or a sword to the body from Kōgetsu.

Wen Sō tossed some deceives to open small Gates in the room for more Dogs to come through. When she saw Kumagai distracted by the new Dogs she rushed at her and brought out a blade-shield(?) to attack.

Kumagai was able to block it.

The two split apart when they saw Nasu start to fire more shots. While Kumagai knew what would happen, Wen Sō was shocked when the straight shots split up and attacked the Dogs near them, destroying them.

' _I got a handle on the strength of their shields,'_ Nasu mentally said to Kumagai. _'I'll start to take them out one by one._ '

Seeing that Nasu looked more ready than before, Wen Sō pulled out another device from the holder at her waist. She tossed something into the air, making a smokescreen.

In the smokescreen shots were fired from the Dogs, making Kumagai put up a Shield.

 _'Oh no! The Dogs come after us even when they can't see!'_

 _'You'll be fine!'_ Nasu reassured as she was back-to-back with Kumagai. ' _I have your back.'_

"Rei!?"

"What...?"

"Kumagai" turned around just as Nasu did to fire shots.

"Kumagai" cut off Nasu's arm while jumping back to dodge the shots fired at her.

The disguise came off. Wen Sō stood where "Kumagai" did. She had managed to used the smokescreen to trick the Shooter and take off one of her arms.

'Urg... I _knew_ they could disguise themselves as Trion Soldier...!'

Nasu gave a small glare to Wen Sō.

"Disguising yourself as Kuma... How dare she...!?"

* * *

QOTC: What is your favorite battle from the Galopoula invasion? (Mine's the Nasu/Kuma vs Wen)

* * *

 **And there you have it! I hope you all enjoyed it! For one reason or another this chapter was so hard for me to write! Anyone else have that kind of problem? Sorry if this chapter sucked. The next one should be better though. So...**

 **Welp! Until next time... See ya!**


	39. Galopoula: Part 3

**And here is number 39! I hope you all enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 39:** Galopoula: Part 3

* * *

"Gimlet."

"No shields, no problem~!"

The Idras stood no chance against the powerful bullets. Even the weaker shots were enough to get through with the relentless onslaught they provided.

"Hound."

"Idaten."

The shields they put up were useless against the free-flowing bullets that quickly rushed forward and went around them. Even the zig-zag slash that came at them from the small girl was enough to cut them in half.

"These thi'gs 're borin'~"

"Please focus."

Two people from Ninomiya Squad, two from Kako Squad and two from Bakuto Squad. That's all that were needed to easily take out multiple Idras without any problem. They didn't need any form of backup, and in fact they _were_ the backup.

Seeing that more of them were getting destroyed, the Idras started to move back and up to the roofs.

"Snipers. The enemy Trion Soldiers retreated out of range," Ninomiya said. "I'd like to get rid of as many as we can, while we can. Send half the snipers down. We'll pursue them on the ground."

 _"Roger."_

Kako kept her cool and collected expression, but she did seem a little more annoyed than before.

The reason for this was a simple one that anyone could figure out if they thought about it for a few seconds.

"Oh? So Ninomiya-kun is taking command?"

"Is that a problem?"

"No, but I don't like it. Sigh. If only Yuki-kun was here to agree with me."

"I don't think he'd be much help, Kako-san..."

"Not to Ninomiya-kun of course."

While off to the side Inukai was playing around with Kuroe's pigtails and said, "Our captains sure get along well."

Kitora looked shocked at seeing the scene.

"Leaders are ordinarily in order of rank or age," Kuruma noted, looking at Arashiyama.

"Then I'd like to ask Suwa-senpai to take charge."

"Alright, you guys? I'll take command!" Right after saying that Suwa turned to Ninomiya and asked, "Ninomiya, got any ideas?"

"Sigh. See... This is what happens anyway."

"But it doesn't feel as annoying before."

"Well...she's not as bad as Loki..."

Minoru gave a light laugh at the scene. He then noticed something and looked up to see the snipers slam to the ground, along with Tsuji, destroying the ground they landed on.

"I'd give that landing a 9.5."

The ones that were already in the ground gave their quick greetings to the snipers that had just slammed to the ground.

There was a small mumble through their communication system that turned out to be Suzume complaing about one thing or another with Midorikawa giving his own little complaint.

Once the quick greetings were done, Ninomiya stepped forward.

"Don't spread out too thin," Ninomiya started again. "Fan out on either side. Use the angle to concentrate on the enemy and take them down. Gunner and Shooters use enveloping fire and stress defense. Attackers follow through. Snipers attack from beyond the enemy's range."

All the agents gave their responses and got ready for the fight.

"Okay! We'll take 'em out and meet up with Miwa!"

Once the Idras determined their distance was good enough, they started their attack. They used the distance to their advantage and started firing off lasers from their cores.

The Gunners and Shooter retaliated by meeting the gunfire head-on with their own shots. The Snipers followed from behind and starts breaking through the shields.

The whole scene was like something from a futuristic sci-fi movie that would cost a large amount of money to make.

The groups of agents split into two different areas with a few sticking to the roofs in between the two streets they were on.

"The enemy numbers are still triple the amount of our own," Ninomiya noted. "If we lose even a single person on this side, the difference in our fire power will increase exponentially. We need to distract their attention with our more flexible mobility, and concentrate our attacks at key points."

On the left street, Sekai let out a sigh as he and Jinsei helped out in the long-range area. They had yet to draw their blades, but figured this would have been more helpful.

Sekai took a quick look at the opposing forces and let out yet another sigh.

He thought his Side Effect might come in handy here, but with the battle currently being a distance one he didn't think he could fulfill the requirement for it.

"Hisato!"

Hearing the small commotion behind him, Sekai turned his head in time to see Hisato block an attack from an Idra that was headed for Kuruma. He thought of helping out there but...

Right after the Idra had pierced through Hisato and moved to the side, Daigo sped by and sliced the core in half.

"Thanks, Daigo! I'll be fine! It didn't harm anything vital!"

Sekai let out a third sigh while muttering, "Stinkin' brat wanting to seem like a hero..."

The agents were more alert to the Idras that were now showing more skill then before.

On the other side, Kuroe had blocked an Idra attack with her blade and defended Karasuma.

The Idra quickly backed away and made its way around the buildings and to the other side of Karasuma.

Back on the Left Side, Suwa and Tsutsumi were having trouble with another Idra that seemed to have more skill than the rest.

"I can't hit that guy!"

"Out shot trajectories are completely transparent. Do they have someone like Mei and her Side Effect on their side?"

* * *

"Reghi, I'll go distract them. Seize this chance."

 _"If we break their formation then it'll be a piece if cake!"_

 _"Hey, Yomi, ya mind some help over here? Controlling one is all I need."_

"Alright. Give me a second."

* * *

Karasuma clicked his tongue as his and Reiji's Shields were starting to crumble away due to the onslaught of attacks.

"The stationary team at the back that got circled by the enemy is panicking. How about I go deal with it?"

"No, don't do that. Our fire team at the front lines can't go without Kako-san."

"Aww, really?"

Kuroe, hearing the conversations, turned around and started for the back. If her captain couldn't go then she would do it in her place.

"I'll go deal with that fast one."

"Alright. I'll leave it to you."

Kitora also turned around and followed behind Kuroe.

"I'll go support Futaba-chan. My equipment is better suited to close combat compared to shooting."

"Okay. Sorry for the trouble."

While on the Left Side...

"Hisato! Hold off that super fast guy! Do your best!"

"Leave it to me!"

Without turning around, Ninomiya spoke to his teammate.

"Tsuji, you go support Sasamori."

"Understood."

Clicking his tongue, Sekai gave a dull look towards Daigo.

"Hey, hero, go with them. You're not needed here."

"Right."

Tsuji and Daigo landed next to Hisato with their blades ready at their sides.

"Hisato, I'm here to help."

"We've got your back here."

"With you two here it shouldn't be too hard."

All three got in their respective fighting stances with Hisato at the center and the Idra in front of them.

Having been designated as the "leader", Hisato spoke to the two.

"We need to watch out and make sure it doesn't disturb the Snipers. Even if Arafune-senpai was targeted he probably will be fine. But under these circumstances we need to let them concentrate on shooting."

"Understood."

"Right."

Tsuji looked to Hisato with a bit of a surpsied look, but he didn't really show it. He was amazed by how calm and collected Hisato currently was and how prepared he seemed.

Daigo on the other hand got a feint smile on his lips and was quite happy about how Hisato was acting. He felt his friend was maturing quite well.

'Compared to the last invasion and that fight in the subway... This is nothing!"

While on the Right Side...

Kuroe and Kitora dashed towards the Idra they were suppose to deal with.

"I'll take care of this in 30 seconds," Kuroe said in a rather cold tone. "Don't drag me down."

Not being affected by the coldness, the queen of coldness herself spoke calmly.

"Don't worry. I'll cover you nice and properly."

Kuroe didn't say anything as she raised her Kōgetsu.

The next step she took her foot moved a bit to the side as she started a slash.

"Idaten."

She sped forward and finished her slash.

The high speed slash should have taken the Idra out without any problem, but Kuroe was only able to get a small cut on the Trion soldier's upper-arm.

She noticed it turn around to face her and so she got her Kōgetsu ready.

The Idra started for an attack against Kuroe, but ended up keeping still. It tried to move forward, but was being held back by wires that kept it in place on the roof.

Kuroe quickly came up with Kōgetsu to strike it down, but was blocked. She moved back just as Kitora cake up and started firing close-ranged shots at the Idra's mid-section.

While still in the air, Kuroe quickly moved in a zig-zag fashion and landed on the roof.

The Idra's head fell to and landed on the roof.

The two female A-Ranks didn't have time for anything else as a voice spoke to them.

 _"Kitora, Kiroe, continue to engage! The enemy Ace Type has appeared again! Already marked on the Radar!"_

"Kitora copy."

"Kuroe copy."

The two female A-Ranks started heading to meet the Idra head-on with Kuroe holding her Kōgetsu and Kitora holding a Scorpion blade.

Once they caught up to the Trion soldiers, Kuroe got ready for another attack.

Small lightning-looking streaks started coming off of her body as he hair waved a bit.

"No matter how many time you come over here, the end result is the same."

Kuroe charged forward.

"Idaten."

The Idra raised its arms.

Kuroe used her special move.

Spike came out of the Idra's shoulder.

"!?"

"!"

Not being able to stop, Kuroe moved in a zig-zag fashion to slice the Idra in half.

She failed at doing so and landed on the next roof over woth Kōgetsu no longer in her hand and both her left arm and leg having large cuts in them.

"Futaba-chan!"

Kuroe held her left arm as she lay on the roof. She noted that they were useless now that they had sustained large cuts. She figured that she could use Idaten to continue moving.

Kitora came up and stopped her train of thought.

"Don't be so hasty, Futaba-chan. Calm down first."

"...! I'll be fine," Kuroe spat back. "I won't make the same mistake next time."

"You didn't make any mistake. It's just that the opponent fount a countermeasure."

Kitora spoke with the calmness and focused sight befitting an A-Rank. She didn't seemed hurt by the way she was being spoken to and continued to hold her guard up.

"Our opponent is very strong. When we manage to defeat one, another one appears. If we make our move carelessly we will only be defeated. Captain Kako is in charge of the shooting battle that is crucial in turning the tide of battle. Our mission is to suppress these pesky opponents. _This_ is also the strategy Sasamori is using."

 _"I'll leave it to you, Futaba."_

Those words rang in Kuroe's head as she faced the Idra.

"We need to finish our own mission as well. Futaba-chan's strength is essential."

Kuroe stood up.

She didn't give any sort if cold remarks or ignore her upperclassman like she normally would. She knew that what she was being told was right and that she needed to put any personal feelings aside to accomplish their current mission.

Even if her current partner was Kitora.

"..."

She got ready for the fight.

She would accomplish the mission given to her by her very own captain.

The mission she herself said she would take on.

"Understood."

* * *

Wen Sō was fighting against Nasu Rei, captain and Shooter of Nasu Squad, along with Kumagai Yūko, Attacker of Nasu Squad.

She was able to hold them off, even with barely any more Dogs backing her up.

She could dodge Nasu's Viper while keeping Kumagai at bay with a mid-range attack that Kumagai would back to block.

That's not to say that the two members of Nasu Squad weren't holding their own. The two female B-Ranks continued to push their opponent back while making her keep her guard up.

 _'Be careful, Kuma-chan. We don't know what kind of tricks she has up her sleeves."_

Nasu fired more Vipers.

The remaining two Dogs got in front of the attack and put up Sheilds. It didn't help much thought since they were quickly destroyed while Wen Sō backed up.

 _'Looks like the opponent is using the Dog types as defense.'_

 _'Yeah. If we remove them from the equation she will mess up eventually.'_

Wen Sō looked at her opponents, but said nothing.

'I'm out of Dogs. If I keep dragging this on I won't have a chance to win.'

Wen Sō took action by lifting up her blades.

'The captain and the others still need about 5 minutes to finish up their jobs, I think...? I can start going all out here then...'

What happened next made Nasu and Kumagai go wide eyed.

Wen Sō charged forward, prepared to attack. What was odd about this was that multiple copies of her ran right alongside her. This made thing much more difficult for the two B-Ranks.

"Servitora."

The copies quickly went towards Kumagai while Nasu backed up and fired shots at the copies.

Kumagai tried to cut one of them, but her blade simply cut through the air.

These copies weren't tangible.

 _'Sayako! Which one is the real one!?'_

 _"Lots of Trion signatures all over the place! Unable to identify on the Radar!"_

Needing to help out her friend, Nasu fired many more Vipers. The shots simply went through the copies though. Not a single one was touched.

Nasu started to head for the hallway as she used the mental link to tell Kumagai as much.

But just as Kumagai was about to follow her captain...

"Don't even think about it."

Multiple strikes from multiple directions bombarded Kumagai. She couldn't tell where to defend and so ended up getting multiple cuts all along her arms, neck and sides. Trion leaked from every new cut.

"Kuma-chan!"

'I can't find the real one! If this goes on...'

Kumagai started to move back. That is until she noticed something particular on the ground.

Something that could help them.

'A shadow?'

Kumagai quickly looked up and mentally said, _'Rei, look up there!_ '

Walking forward, Nasu looked up and saw them.

The things that would help them out.

Small devices were attached to the ceiling. The devices looked like small diamonds being held by suction cups.

"Viper!"

Not wasting any time in destroying them, Nasu let out the shots.

Just as the shots connected with the diamond-looking devices the intangible copies of Wen Sō started to disappear one-by-one.

Seeing that they were going for her Trigger, Wen Sō ran forward with her copies to deal the finishing blows.

'The Triggers wre already discovered. I need to act before the duplicates disappear. And completely incapacitate those two!'

Wen Sō decided to start with Kumagai and surrounded her with the copies, as well as her real body.

For each attack that Wen Sō made, another few devices were destroyed by Nasu's Viper.

Even with this going on, Kumagai couldn't handle the remaining copies as well as the original one. She tried to figure out which was the real one, but didn't have the time and had to block a hit or take it.

'The duplicates copy the movements of the real one. Mirroring her actions and creating those mirages...!'

Wen Sō and the Wen Sō copies ran forward to finish off the first opponent.

'Before she activated the duplicates the mark on the chest of the real one was on the... Right side!'

Wen Sō and the Wen Sō copies held their blades forward to finish off the first opponent.

'So the real one should be... The second from the right!'

 _'It's the one on the far right.'_

Changing her stance ever so slightly, Kumagai moved her sword in a quick slash and took off her opponent's hand.

From above the fighting a single figure watched with his hair in a ponytail. He was a member of the #3 A-Rank squad.

Kikuchihara Shirō.

"The wounds Kuma-chan suffered by your hands..."

Multiple shots were fired by a rather mad Nasu.

Wen Sō could only wait for the attack to land.

"I'll return them all to you at once."

Viper came from above.

They pierced through Wen Sō without any mercy.

They spun while piercing without mercy through Wen Sō and flew parallel to the ground after making multiple spirals through their target.

The spirals all ran with each other and gave a magnificent display of what looked like some type of modern art that was made with pure greens lights and seemed like something with an amazingly high amount of money.

Wen Sō fell to the ground, only a small portion of her mid-section keeping her upper-body and lower-body together.

Kikuchihara and Utagawa made their way down the steps and towards Nasu and Kumagai.

"I see now..." Kumagai said. "She used her Trigger to change it _so that left and right were switched._ She can make the duplicates masquerade as the real one..."

"If you only use your eyes to verify naturally you would get duped. If you just listen to her footsteps, you would've recognized the truh immediately."

"Thanks Kikuchihara."

"I'm only following the Commander's orders."

"Sorry we were late." Utagawa cut in after stabbing into a Dog to make sure it was down. "But even if we came early, we probably wouldn't have gotten a chance to fight anyways."

"My ears helped. _My ears_."

"Let us help you guys control and carry away the Neighbor."

"Thanks for the help. I almost had to Bail Out."

As she lay on the floor, Wen Sō thought to herself,

'From my results, looks like I held off four of them... At least I followed and achieved the minimum requirements of my orders.'

* * *

QOTC: What do you think of Servitora?

* * *

 **And there ya go! A bit on the short side, but I didn't want to get into the other fights. Oh yeah, if you couldn't tell, I'm not gonna be doing the fight for the ship with Tachikawa and the others. ... Sigh. I won't be doing it** ** _unless you want me to_** **. I'm here to entertain you all, so I like to give you all these kinds of options at times.**

 **Anyways! I hope you all enjoyed! I'm trying something different with my writing. I'd like some feedback in whether you like this style better than my previous one or not.**

 **Until next time... See ya!**


	40. Galopoula: Part 4

**Chapter 40:** Galopoula: Part 4

* * *

"Viper!"

"Nice try, but... THAT'S NOT GONNA WOOOOOOOOOORK!"

Maya, Eri and Minubuki moved to the side and watched as the shots Eri had fired were blocked by the invisible shockwave from the large Trigger.

Maya ran forward with both blades in hand while Eri and Minubuki backed her up. Eri fired off Viper towards the left while Minubuki shot from the right, gradually growing closer with her own Kōgetsu in hand.

"NO! NO! NOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Invisible shockwaves left the advertisment truck-sized Trigger in all three directions, pushing the three girls back.

 _'Crap! How are we suppose to get close to her like this!? Even Eri's Viper can't get near her!'_

 _'Asachin, you can do some rockin' real time attacks, can't you?'_

 _'If I had enough time to focus, yeah.'_

Minubuki grinned as he readied her gun and blade.

 _'Then just leave that time to Mayacchi and Minubuki!'_

Eri looked over to her captain and got a nod in return. Deciding to leaving this to the other two girls, Eri brought out two Trion cubes and waited for the right moment to attack.

Maya ran forward with both Kōgetsus at her sides. She prepared to handle the invisible shockwaves that were keeping them at bay.

Minubuki followed her lead and started firing Hound from her gun while getting her own blade ready.

"Don't you girls LEAAAAAAAARRRRN!?"

An invisible shockwave headed for the two girls who were rushing forward.

While she couldn't see it, Maya _could_ see how the shockwave was effecting the environment and waited for her moment.

Minubuki noticed this as well, and so raised her own blade.

With a simultaneous yell of, "Senku Kōgetsu!" the two girls moved their blades in a slashing motion.

The extended slashes went through the air and clashed with the invisible shockwave. They were able to block the shockwave and allowed the two girls to get even closer to their opponent.

"Viper!"

The small cubes of Trion by Eri sped forward and headed for Shi Muon.

The Neighbor's grin fell and she lazily put her megaphone-like microphone down a bit. She didn't look at any of the three girls directly and simply turned her gaze slightly to the right.

When she saw the Viper getting closer with the two sword-wielding girls she snapped her fingers and watched what happened next.

"Shit!"

Shana cursed under her breath as she stabbed her scythe into the ground to try and stop herself before she got any closer to Shi Muon. She could see some of her teammate's shots looking ready to hit her and placed a Grasshopper plate down, but couldn't get on it in time.

"Shield!

A barrier appeared between Shana and the shots.

Off to the side, Noah could be seen blocking a hit from an Idra while holding his arm out towards Shana.

Shan twisted her body from behind the shield and swung the large Trigger around to land a hit on Shi Muon.

Maya and Minubuki came up from the other side with their blades glowing a bit.

Still giving a dull look, Shi Muon jumped into the air and easily dodged Shana's attack. She could see the extended slashes coming from the other two girls but didn't seem to care. She twisted her body in the air and manged to keep anything vital from being hit. Although she did lose a few fingers.

She landed on her advertisment truck-sized Trigger.

She raised the megaphone-like microphone to her mouth and let out a deafeningly loud yell.

"BOOOOOOOOOORIIIIIIINNNNNNNG!"

The three girls with blades were blown away by the large, invisible shockwave.

When Shi Muon looked around she noticed that one of the girls was now missing.

"..."

She could not remain in one spot. If she tried to stay there and keep the same distance then that would give their opponent a chance for another attack while they wouldn't be able to do anything. She had to get out of sight from the Neighbor before launching another attack.

As Eri ran, she tried to get a few sneak attacks in, but that didn't work against the all-around invisible shockwaves.

She was running out of places to run.

The paths she might take were being blocked one after another.

She heard something from the advertisment truck-sized Trigger and looked over to see Shi Muon now back with a grin on her face.

"Thank you for inviting me tonight! Let's get this one-man outdoor concert on Miden really started! We won't stop until morniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnngggggggggggg!"

A tremendous shockwave blasted away the surrounding around near Eri.

The Neighbor grinned as she saw the destruction around the Shooter.

Their eyes met and she winked for some reason.

"Looks like we have someone trying to get to the stage! I've got nothing against that kind of passion! If the fans are that excited, I've gotta start going all out with this soooooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnggggggggggggggggggggggggg!"

"Damn!"

Avoiding an invisible shockwave without using her Triggers would be difficult. But as Eri held out her right hand, she spotted something unpleasant out of the corner of his eye: an Idra who managed to escape from Noah and Shana, who had returned to the 2-vs-4 fight.

'Dammit...!'

With her eyes opened wide, Eri tried to avoid the Trion soldier by lowering her upper body despite knowing it would never work.

And then...

Multiple beams of light blew away the advertisement truck-sized Trigger creating the great noise.

Eri did not understand what had happened.

But since the shockwave had disappeared, she focused on the Trion soldier. She fired off Viper directly at the Trion soldier and blasted it full of holes.

"That was..."

Recognizing the attack, Eri was glad to know that the fight would be finished soon.

"It took you long enough."

"Is this all they've got?"

This agent was not even looking in Eri's direction.

With five green orbs on either side of him, the special Shooter brushed up his hair and spoke to no one in particular.

"When you're using a big Trigger like that it's obvious others will target it before moving on to you. Not to mention you were being so loud that every battlefield could hear your idiotic yelling."

The B-Rank captain did not hesitate to walk right into the center of the commotion. It was as if this did not leave the realm of his everyday life.

Meanwhile, the girl who had lost her speakers tossed the megaphone-shaped microphone aside, laughed, and tried to take control of the area with her unamplified voice.

"Ha ha ha. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Thanks for the unexpected ad lib request! This is why live performances are so much-...!"

"Shut the hell up."

An explosive noise rang out.

Three Trion soldiers flew through the air like a part of a joke.

But this was not due to the conflict between the B-Rank squad captain and the microphone Neighbor. It had happened in the slightly distance battleground with the Americans.

* * *

"Were you two really having this hard a time with these things? Futaba and Ai took one out, so this should be easy for you two."

This area was the battleground for Noah, Shana and the Idras. The battle had been a back-and-forth for both sides. But that had changed with the appearance of a new member with brown hair, brown eyes and a gray trapper hat on his head.

"Well... I guess it's fine since they apparently have someone controlling them now. At least that's what Mei had told us. Oh yeah, sorry for the tardiness, but we just figured you would all have ended this by now."

The two who had appeared where the members of the recently reformed Kotowari Squad.

The Shooter and Captain along with the Attacker. Kotowari Takeshi and Toby Awdry.

Once they had been told the area they had been in wasn't being attacked they had been sent off to help so we here else. The area just so happened to be where a fight with a Trigger user was.

"Let's just end this."

Toby quickly threw a Scorpion blade forward before disappearing.

That was all it took.

The Idra who had blocked the blade feel to the ground with a thud as Toby stood on its head and another Scorpion blade in the core of the Trion soldier.

Following his lead, the other two Americans turned to the three remaining Idras. The two finished the fight with Shana slicing one of them in half and Noah blasting an Asteroid in the second while stabbing his Kōgetsu into the other's core.

"Now was that so hard? Hm? I guess Take is done with that fight too. Too bad."

Toby nonchalantly hopped down and walked over to the other four agents.

"..."

"Something wrong?"

Takeshi looked around at the other two squads before turning around and fixing his scarf.

Some of them gave a him a confused look.

Toby on the other hand grinned and out an arm around the Shooter and whispered something in his ear.

"At least you're _trying_ not to criticize them. I'm so proud of you."

The orbs that had been around Takeshi's head earlier surrounded Toby before firing off shots.

Noah watched it happen with a sheepish look while Maya and Shana didn't seem to care. Eri turned to where the main battle with the Idras was happening while Minubuki laughed and pointed as Toby used his Side Effect to dodge the beams.

* * *

"!"

Yoneya tried to move to the side to get away from the jelly-like substance coming from the wall, but could do nothing once it had gotten his left arm and leg.

He tried to take a step forward but ended up slipping.

"Damn."

He went to grasp his spear with his hand, but like before, it slipped.

 _'Whoa, I can't get a good grip on my spear. And I'm losing my balance. This stuff looks insignificant at first but is definitely bad news.'_

 _'His Trigger cause a "disadvantageous effect" for his opponents. Kind of like the Lead Bullets.'_

A large amount of the jelly-like substance swirled like tentacles around Miwa Squad's opponent.

 _'We've failed every time we've tried to out-flank him. Looks like his positioning is mainly defensive. He's the type to waste an opponent's time.'_

 _'He might also be waiting for a chance to strike back. The important thing is that we don't try to fight that gel shield head on we should be fine.'_

 _'Okay. We've encountered these "do not touch" types, once before already.'_

Yoneya grinned as he moved his spear with his free hand.

"Senku Kōgetsu!"

The extended slashes from the spear sped forward, but not toward the opponent.

They destroyed the ceiling.

Koskero didn't seem to fazed by the attack and moved his body to dodge the slash from Miwa. He noticed the gun being lifted by Miwa and commanded the gel to rise and block the shots.

Weights appeared once they hit the gel, but quickly fell to the ground.

'Looks like they've discovered Noikokyra is bad at handling attacks that aren't Trion based. Fighting in that structure is unfavorable for me.'

Koskero jumped back as he thought.

'And now... I still need to buy more time to get my chance to strike back.'

"There is something...that I want to ask you first."

"?"

"!?"

The two other fighters there looked at Miwa while he spoke.

It was unusual for him to speak in general, but during a fight was something you would not expect from the #7 A-Rank captain.

But he spoke. He spoke with a calm tone and expression that wouldn't really see in a fight. He didn't seem to care about the current situation.

"The ones that invaded and sanctioned the massacre of the world on 'this side' four years ago, was it your country, or else, is it another country that you know of?"

"... ...About that..."

"!"

Miwa and Yoneya moved to the side as the gel came up from behind them.

They were quick enough to escape anything major, but Miwa's right arm and leg were covered in the gel, making him drop his blade, while Yoneya's second leg was covered.

'Didn't expect him leaving some of those sticky things in the room below.'

It was Koskero's turn to speak.

"... I am under no obligations to answer you, but allow me to give you a piece of advice instead... _It's best not to talk too much, when we're in a battle._ "

"'When we're in a battle'...? Don't be stupid."

Miwa faced his opponent with the same expression he had on since the beginning of the fight.

Although...

"The battle was already over... _The moment you came 'above_ '."

Nomone saw it, but seven lines sped along the roofs of the building and the ground. They were green in color and moving fast.

They were...

"...!?"

The remote slashes from the Black Trigger known as Fujin.

* * *

In a far off distance, away from the fight concerning Miwa Squad, a single man stood with a green blade in hand.

 _"A direct hit. Thanks for the hard work, Jin."_

"You really know how to order people around."

* * *

'This is... The long distance slash attack that was mentioned in the Aftokrator report...! But from that far of a distance... Is this the effects of a Black Trigger! They lured me under the false pretense of talking to get me to stop moving so that the Black Trigger could take aim...!'

"I feel into a trap..."

Koskero looked in the direction of where the slashes came from, then to Miwa and Yoneya.

"Target neutralized. We're going to start escorting the Neighbor back to HQ. When we get back to HQ, we've got all the time in the world to talk."

* * *

On the battlefield with the Idras...

"Incredible! The Trion soldiers are getting eliminated one-by-one! Tamakoma 1st is really strong!"

"Tamakoma's 'secret weapons' are indeed stong, but they are considerably taxing for their Trion levels." Ninomiya turned from the two in Tamakoma to his own teammate. "They might be met with retaliation when they run out of Trion. You should go support them."

"Understood."

"...!"

Ninomiya stayed quite for a few seconds as he saw something odd on Radar.

"What...? The enemy's moving...?"

True to what he was saying, one of the targets that seemed to be a Neighbor changed directions and seemed to take a few of the Dogs with them.

It was odd that that would happen, so everyone started to think of the reasons.

"Why would they go so far as to attack the town at this point...?"

"Doesn't it feel like they want to scatter our troops?"

"During the mass invasion," Kako added in as her 'free-form' shorts floated around her head, "the enemy sent some Trion soldiers to the town as a tactic. Is it possible, that this is the same tactic as well?"

"According to Jin's prediction the town wasn't harmed. If the enemy really wants to attack the town, then Jin definitely would have instructions."

"Then they must be bluffing us to spread us out. Ignoring them would be perfectly okay."

"Even if that's true..."

Most of the agents recognized the voice and each had mixed feelings about hearing it.

"Why not try and just take them out?"

The oldest and two youngest of the family of soldiers appeared on the roofs along with their fellow agents.

The red-haired danger beauty known as Kushikage grinned as she casually walked next to Kako with their large claymore-like sword in her grip like some sort of plastic toy.

The "genius among genius'" and the "soldier who gave a princess-like vibe" stood behind the two A-Rank females.

'Takeshi-kun and Toby-kun are finished with their fights... I wonder how Waka-kun is doing in his match...'

Even near the end of an invasion, the "soldier who gave a princess-like vibe" seemed to be thinking of other people. Although she herself had not gotten to do much during the invasion.

"We would like to refrain from destroying everything from her up to the town," Ninomiya said, looking over at Kushikage. "Your destructive attacks won't help in the slightest."

"Oh! Not me! I was thinking of using my cute corpse of a brother to attack. His range is outstanding, so it should be no problem. What's more, if he manages to take them out then there really is no point in worrying. Am I right?"

A few agents around looked at Kushikage with a skeptical look while others didn't know what to think.

"..."

"Right! We're staring! Velvet-chan! How far!?"

 _"If you and Hoshi-chan let him use some of your Trion we should be fine."_

The "corpse of a brother" and "genius among genius'" let out a tired sigh as he slouched in his spot.

He was usually a close-range fighter who used many different style of fighting. That wasn't to say close-range was all he could do.

"Having an Operator is helpful at least... Alright. Let's start… Perform final check. Once it is done, begin output."

As soon as Mukuro muttered those words, his eyes turned from a bored and tired look to a focused look that could put anyone on guard.

His fingertips began emitting a green light. This was his Trion coming out as a type of blade.

"This really is tiring."

As he spoke, Mukuro lightly waved his right hand. Beams of light similar to a blowtorch were emitted from his fingertips. And they grew to 1000 meters right away.

The ones who had never seen such a thing (almost everyone) were shocked at seeing such an odd way to use Trion.

Mukuro let out a small sigh as he raised his hand before bringing it down as if swatting away an insect.

The 1000 meter blades went down along with his hand and sliced through every building, and even the ground, upon contact. Five clear paths appeared that allowed everyone to see destruction.

They checked their Radars and saw that multiple Trion soldiers had gotten taken out on the single instant of a hand falling as of swatting away an insect.

"Can I get some sleep now?"

* * *

 _'What the hell was that green thing now!?'_

 _"I don't know! But that thing got my leg! Sliced it into pieces?"_

Kigisa wondered what exactly they had gotten themselves into as she used the vines coming from her back to block a strike.

The strike from the crescent-shaped Trion blade easily sliced through the vines like a hot knife through butter.

"Are we really the last ones fighting out here?"

"That's to be expected. We haven't been given a 'playground' and have to hold back a bit."

Kigisa stared wided eyed as she heard one of her opponents with a hime-cut hair style say those words. She had been doing her best to simply _block_ attacks from the two and they had apparently been holding back this whole time.

Yuki stabbed the pointed end of Idōgetsu into the ground before leaning on it with an almost bored look. He moved his eyes lazily around to see the "spores" floating around them. He brought up his hand and flicked his finger in one direction. A small cube of Trion flew through the air before hitting the "spores" and causing a small explosion.

Mei didn't look like she was bored but she did seem like she was focusing on things that didn't concern the current fight.

As a matter-of-fact, she was really thinking about her squad's next opponents for the B-Rank Wars. She wasn't focused on the fight at all.

 _"Yuki, Mei, I'm giving you permission."_

The two A-Rank that seemed like they didn't care about the fight jumped a bit when the voice of Director Shinoda cake through.

 _"Mukuro has gone and used his best move, so I suppose I can give you two a 'playground'."_

Hearing this words Yuki and Mei seemed more focused. Yuki pulled out Idōgetsu from the ground while Mei seemed to be moving her fingers along the sides of her gloves.

 _"Just make sure not to leave the area or you'll both be punished severely."_

"ROGER!"

With their shout of vigor, the two got ready for the end of their fight.

Kigisa took a nervous step back once she saw the almost animalistic look in both of their eyes.

"Mei, I'm going to create a path with Idōgetsu's new form, so get ready to deliver the finishing blow."

"Right. I will make sure to finish this in... Three blows."

Yuki nodded his head as he lifted Idōgetsu to chest level.

Trion started to come out of the pointed end of Idōgetsu and take form. It didn't take more than a few seconds for the new form of the "multi-formed moon weapon" to be created.

The form it took was not like the wrecking ball form that was Mangetsu, the crescent blade form that was Gengetsu, or the scythe form that was Jikangetsu. It was a new and never-before-seen form.

"Kuraigetsu."

This new form of Idōgetsu resembled a sword. The differences were that the rest of the pole that was Idōgetsu's base form was now a sort of "long hilt" while the blade made of Trion was a few inches longer than the "long hilt". What else was different from a regular sword was that the end of the blade looked more like an arrow or the hand of a clock.

"Let's begin."

Yuki and Mei rushed forward with astonishing speed.

A few remaining Idras appeared in front of them, but Yuki raised his new blade and easily sliced through them.

The two could see more "spores" and the vines from Kigisa's came headed for them.

"Senku..."

As he muttered those words Yuki moved his blade with such speed that it seemed both the blade and his hand had magically moved from his side into the air as of it teleported there.

The large and extended slashes moved forward to cut up the vines that had come from Kigisa's back and blow away the "spores".

"Gauge: 100% Speed."

Running through the newly crated path, Mei seemed to gain a burst of speed and appeared in front of Kigisa as fast as any Teleport or Grasshopper.

"!?"

Kigisa raised her arms to block. This seemed to also be a command for the newly formed vines to come forward and block as well.

"Gauge: 100% Power."

Mei moved her fist forward and landed a hit on the vines.

The punch broke through the vines and smashed into Kigisa's arms. It also managed to send her flying at high speeds and through multiple buildings.

She didn't give the Neighbor any time as she appeared yet again in front of her to deliver a hard and unblock able punch.

This time Kigisa was launched into the air at high speeds.

For her final attack, Mei was in the air, above Kigisa. As she fell she moved her fist forward and delivered the final blow. She punched Kigisa's battered form to the ground.

Once she made contact with the ground again, Kigisa created a large crater with her body at the center. Nothing was in a meter radius of the crater and Kigisa was now missing her entire mid-section and thighs.

It happened in an instant, but she was enveloped in a black and cracking orb.

Once the orb was gone, so was she.

"So that was their Bail Out, huh...?"

"There you go, Tora-san. We beat her."

 _"..."_

"Tora-san?"

 _"Mei, you sent her out of the 'playground'."_

Both Yuki and Mei went wide eyed before looking forward. They saw the destruction Mei had caused with three simple punches and could see that the edge of their 'playground'. It seemed that the spot Mei had appeared and thrown Kigisa into the air was a few inches past the edge.

"..."

"..."

 _"You two shall be punished once this is all over."_

The two A-Rank agents who held the #1 and #2 spots respectively for the "Agents most likely to cause collateral damage" fell to the ground in defeat.

They had won the fight, but still lost in the end.

* * *

QOTC: How did I do on the fights?

* * *

 **Soooooooooo... I just wanted to inform the ones who don't know. I am making a remake of this fic and the remade chapters will be swapped with these old ones. I just wanted you all to know that I am now at the Aftokrator invasion for the remake.**

 **Oh. And sorry off these fights scenes sucked. You all already know I'm no good with them. That being said, I will admit I rushed them a bit. They will be fixed in the remake though.**

 **Until next time... See ya!**


	41. Galopoula: Part 5

**Chapter 41:** Galopoula: Part 5

* * *

The battles were over and the Neighbors were pushed back by the Border agents.

"AHAHAHAHA! What's this~ It's super slippery!"

"I wanna try too! Come on, come on! Don't hog the fun, Haru!"

Everyone involved in the outside battles stood there. Some watched as Inukai spun Yoneya around on his gel-covered legs while Toby seemed to be whining nearby. It was a semi-entertaining scene that put smiles to some faces.

"That stuff is the enemy's Trigger?" Suwa asked.

"That's right. We're going to bring it back like this for analysis."

While Miwa spoke to Suwa, Arashiyama thanked the ones who held off the Ace Idras.

"Shuuji. It's been a long time since I've heard about you cooperating with Jin. I thought you hated Tamakoma?"

"... It was our Operator's idea. I just felt that this way of handling things was faster."

Arashiyama took note of the significant change in the #7 A-Rank captain.

"Miwa-kun, I want to play with you like that too!"

Kako pointed over to the little scene of Tsuji having to stop Yoneya from sliding any further, Inukai was quickly tackled to the ground by Toby.

"Go play with Yosuke."

Minoru gave a small chuckle at seeing everything. He then took notice of the fact that one of his other friends with black hair that leaned more to the left hadn't said anything about Ninomiya yet.

He looked over and saw Yuki shaking his head and muttering to himself, Mei was near him, on the ground. Both seemed to have a dark cloud over them.

"Loki? Meimei?"

"You two go 'out of bounds' in your 'playground'?"

Sekai casually walked up next to Minoru with his hands in his pockets.

Minoru raised an eyebrow, but said nothing and simply waited for an answer.

"Yes!" the #1 and #3 of 'Destruction to surrounding area via Triggers' said with tears streaming down their faces.

Sekai sighed and shook his head. He gave a lazy look to Minoru before opening his mouth to speak again.

"Akasora-san told me about it. These two aren't really allowed to 'go all out' without having limits set for them - a 'playground'. If any part of the fight, even debris, goes even a millimeter out of the 'playground' those two will suffer 'severe punishment' from either Shinoda-san or Akasora-san."

"You don't understand! The last time we did that...!"

Minoru really didn't know what to say to this. Seeing Yuki, someone who never looked scared over anything, and Mei, someone who can become terror incarnate, shaking like crazy with tears in their eyes made anyone scared for what the "severe punishment" would be.

What's more was that Ninomiya, Kushikage and Denji, three people that would love to annoy the two shaking ones, kept quiet about the whole thing and actually seemed to keep a safe distance from them.

'Just how terrifying can this punishment be...!?'

Deciding that he would also keep his distance, for the time being, Minoru looked around and saw that Hoshi was also muttering to herself, but with no dark cloud over her head.

Taiyōko Hoshi was the type of person who was kind to all and always seemed like an elegant woman from some royal family that everyone in the world would love.

Right now though...

"Katori Squad's opponents are Tamakoma-2 and Kakizaki Squad. Going off of everything I've seen... Always being prepared in key when entering battle, but that doesn't mean much with Katori-san's personality... I'm sure she and Waka-kun will get in some argument, so I can only leave it up to Miura-senpai and Somei-san to stop those two... I feel bad that I joined the squad when they are in the upper tier parts of B-Rank, but we shall remain in that place so that we can go against the A-Ranks... I would really like to go against Katori Squad again, but then that would mean they would have to also stay in the top tier area of B-Rank... Regardless... We wouldn't lose like last time... Even if we _did_ win... But I'm sure Waka-kun would be fine with the outcome, as long as everyone tried their best... After all, he... Wait! Wait! Wait! I-I-I'm sure _everyone_ would be... Well, except Katori-san... But that's fine. Waka-kun-... I mean _everyone_! Why am I...! Gah! I can't take this anymore! Is this what people refer to when they say they 'like' someone!? But I like Kiyo-nii, Mu-nii, Kushi-nee, and the rest of the squad, so it isn't like it's anything special! Waka-kun is... Just the first person I've met from that squad! Yeah! That's all there is to it! N-n-n-nothing else at all! Ha ha ha! ... But what if- Wait! How did I get to this train of thought in the first place!? Is Kushi-nee affecting me this much!? Everyone, forgive meeeeeeeeeeee!"

If this was some kind of manga then everyone would probably he able to see scribble lines coming from Hoshi's mouth as she continued to mutter.

Mukuro, who was standing next her and looking ready to go to sleep, simply patted his younger sister's head while she continued to mutter.

The older sister on the other hand...

"Ho-chan! You're thinking too much! To get a guy's attention, you need to hug him from the front in only a bikini and start undoing the stings so that he has no choice but to stay in that spot! Unless... If he's the kind of guy who would love to see them _and_ is an 'S', it would be even better! Once he moves away, you just need to shove his face right in there! It should be fine for you! Luckily for us girls that are a part of the Taiyōko family, we have massive boobs that any guy would love to shove their faces into!"

Kushikage continued to grin as she looked over at the girls around.

"And don't worry, ladies! The guys have pretty big d-"

"I will risk moving up from 'severe punishment' to 'divine punishment' if you don't shut up right now! Saying something like that after such a battle _and_ with innocent children around deserves punishment that only I can give! Even Izanami and Izanagi would tremble before the punishment I have in store for you, you batshit crazy womaaaaaaaaaan!"

It took Reiji, Arafune Squad, Suwa, and Jinsei everything they had to hold back the 19-year-old girl known as Takaoto Mei, who had purple smoke and red eyes, from walking over and causing everything in a 5 mile radius from becoming a new parking lot.

Kushikage just grinned as she watched and blew kisses.

Denji walked up to Hoshi with his own grin in place.

"Kushi-chan's r't 'ough. Ya gotta b' f'rcf'l wh'n i' c'mes ta g'ys."

"Don't give my sister any weird ideaaaaaaaas!"

Denji ducked his head as a leg sailed right by above him.

Off to the side, Noah seemed to watch Denji's dodges with stars in his eyes. He really looked like some school girl who was meeting her favorite celebrity idol for the first time after so many years of fantasizing.

Hisato and Daigo walked up to the group who had fought the sound-based Trigger user.

"Is he okay?" Hisato asked, pointing over to the starry-eyed American.

"He's American. No. He is not okay," Takeshi answered while fixing his scarf. "All three of them are crazy people. The fight we had even proved it."

"What was that!?"

The American Trio all yelled in unison.

"HYUUUU! HYUUUU! Minubuki loved that fight! That Neighbor had some rockin' attacks! Definitely got Minubuki ready to make a new song!"

The ones who were standing around the hyperactive girl quickly backed away while covering their ears.

Takeshi ignored the yelling and turned to Eri and Maya, who had just been watching everything at the time.

"Asano-senpai, Maya-senpai, thank you for holding off that Neighbor. And...I'm sorry for not arriving earlier."

"Hm? What's there to be sorry about? You made it, and even one-shot the whole thing."

"..."

"Hm~?"

Maya got an idiotic grin on her face as she took a step closer to Takeshi. Said boy fixed his scarf again and looked away from the two girls.

"What's this~? Are you getting embarrassed because you got a complement from a girl~ I thought only Tsuji was like that! Hahaha! It's fine, it's fine! It's a senpai's job to encourage her kouhai, right?"

Eri shook her head and muttered under her breath as she watched her captain (roughly) pat her fellow Shooter on the back. Takeshi seemed to just get a deadpan expression while this was happening, but his eye looked like it was starting to twitch a bit.

"Maya..."

"What? You want a compliment too? Fine, fine! I guess I _am_ someone who others can look to!"

"No. I was going to say that you should probably follow Awdry's lead from earlier and get away from him."

Maya tilted her head in a cutesy way, she looked to the side and saw five Trion orbs appear near Takeshi head. She moved back just as all five orbs let out laser-like beams.

Takeshi started giving off a similar aura to Mei. Althought of someone was to compare the two they would say with absolute certainty that Takeshi's aura was only around 3% that of Mei's.

While she faced such an aura from the Shooter, Maya didn't even flinch and gave a hardy laugh.

The laser-like beams continued to be fired.

* * *

At the same time...

"Huh? It's over just like that?"

"Thanks for your help, Midorikawa."

Touma patted Midorikawa's head with a grin.

"Thanks for the hard work everybody."

"I heard Nasu-senpai and Kumagai-senpai defeated one of the Neighbors too!"

"Nasu-san is really strong."

Narasaka turned his head away from the two young snipers in front of him to look over to a certain brunette with (oddly) short hair. The reason why her hair was (oddly) short was because she was Narasaka's newest student who had shown her resolve to him by cutting her hair in front of him (and Kodera).

Narasaka thought she would be just has talkative as the others, especially since she helped to defend the snipers from the Dogs, but she just seemed to be off by herself.

Now, Narasaka and Suzume never had the _best_ relationship, one would even say they hated each other, but Narasaka scrunched his eyebrows when he noticed that Suzume seemed to be acting differently than usual.

"Just go talk to her, Narasaka."

"You can do it, senpai!"

Both Touma and Akane seemed to be thinking the same thing (something that Narasaka wished wouldn't happen) and pushed him in the direction of the lone girl with (oddly) short hair.

He didn't want to, but he figured he might as well. She was his "student" now, so he felt a bit obligated to check on her.

It had nothing to do woth the blossoming feelings he had started to get a few days ago.

Nothing at all.

"Su-"

"I've honestly! Got it!"

Narasaka jumped with wide eyes when Suzume suddenly yelled out and pointed right at his face.

Suzume seemed to have done it by accident as she looked at Narasaka with a similar shocked look. She quickly changed it to a grin, flipping her hair while doing so.

"Oh. What is it? Why are you honestly standing there like a creep?"

"This woman..." Narasaka's eyes started to twitch a bit. "I came over to see why you were by yourself. _Apparently_ you just wanted an excuse to be a weirdo and yell put random thongs when someone walks up to you."

"Hm. Honestly think what you will, but I was thinking of certain thongs to help my fighting style. And before you honestly start complaing, _no,_ it's not like going back to my original style. I may not like you, but I honestly do need your help. I'm not about to give that up. Besides..."

Narasaka raised an eyebrow as Suzume walked by, giving him a light slap on the cheek.

"I said I would become a girl you have to come to like and one you can't live without."

Narasaka scrunched up his eyebrows for the second time as he watched Suzume walk up to the other snipers with her usual happy feeling.

He clearly understood what the former part of what Suzume meant, but didn't know why she would bother to add the latter part. He figured she was just saying it for dramatics, letting it go right away once he thought about it. But he still felt something was up with that.

* * *

Also at the same time...

"..."

They had lost.

The team from Galopoula that was sent to "get the attention of Miden" had failed in their task of getting to Border's expedition ship. More accurately put, two of them had reached the hanger the ship was in, they were stopped by the top 4 Attacks of Border though.

While that happened multiple others fights had been going on. One took place in the Border building while the rest were outside of the building. Six fights had been fought by the Neighbors themselves, one was fought using the Trion soldiers they had brought, and the last one couldn't be considered a "fight" so much as a "one-sided one-shot win".

The one who had been taken out by one shot (even though a strange "blade" had taken his leg) was the one who seemed the most affected by this turn of events.

"What the hell were you thinking, Reghi? Didn't we agree in beginning not to attack civilians?"

"... Didn't attack. Just bluffing."

"If only the enemy believed you and thought like you as well."

Koskero decided to interrupt the two before it could go on.

"Alright, alright. Giving command of the Trion soldiers to Reghi was my fault. And it couldn't be helped that we were defeated. Looks like our actions were all thoroughly seen through beforehand. It's a good thing we were able to escape thanks to the new types."

"How and where did our intel leak? Even if they have an Aftokrator captive they were way too accurate in their guesses."

"It can't be the Aftokrator captive. He was ready to board our ship. He probably wouldn't have a reason to work woth Miden."

Shi Muon noticed that the girl next to her was a bit too quiet. The two were on fine enough terms that they would have conversations, and Shi Muon knew she wasn't much for talking to begin with. But even this silence was odd for her.

"Kigisa, what's wrong? You've been on edge this whole time. Is it because you couldn't give a good enough performance?"

"N-no. That's not it..."

The two spoke quietly so that they wouldn't be heard. It didn't really work though as their conversation got some attention from the others.

"It's just that... My opponents... The way they fought... I _knew_ I could Bail Out if I lost, but the way those two fought... I seriously thought I was going to _die_ if they reached me. It was like they were savage animals that wanted nothing more than to claw out my throat..."

"So it was just your fear that got the best of you."

Wen Sō spoke up after hearing their conversation.

Kigisa shook her head and wrapped her arms around herself.

"They said something about a 'playground' then... _That woman beat me in three hits_."

This shocked the others a bit. Reghindetz had been taken out by the powerful Aftokrator Trigger known as Lampyris, Wen Sō had to deal with one of the best Viper users and a useful Side Effect, Koskero was beaten by a Black Trigger, Shi Muon had been dealing with most of three squads, Gatlin and Ratarikov fought against the top 4 Attacks in Border, and Kigisa was fighting against...

"Captain."

Everyone's attention turned from the plant-based Trigger user to the one who had used the Idras to fight.

"Vasilisa's analysis is complete."

Broken parts from the Trigger known as Vasilisa lay on the tables in the center if them all.

"I analyzed the data from the broken parts. It took double damage at the breaking point."

"Does that mean, that it was struck twice in the same place?"

"Yes," Yomi said, looking up at her captain. "Where the first person had damaged, the second person had precisely struck again at the exact same place."

"They were able to do that in the midst of such a confusing battle...!" Ratarikov went a little wide eyed as he spoke.

"... Miden has performed well above my expectations. They not only fought well, but also used the Bail Out function better than us due to experience. _They are not so easily defeated opponents..."_

"But we can't just give up on the mission. What about next time?"

"... Let's think about that another time. We still have some time left before we leave Miden's orbit."

The fighting was done for now.

Border had won and Galopoula had lost.

It was that simple.

"Let's all go rest for now."

* * *

The fights were done.

There were winners and there were losers.

Each side fought for their reasons, but only one came out on top.

Neither side really lost anything, but something was gained from both sides. One side got information on the ones defending their base. The other side got information on Triggers they had never seen before.

The winners had gained something.

The losers had gained something.

While the fights concerning two sides were done with for now, another fight was beginning.

The 5th round of the B-Rank Wars.

* * *

QOTC: Are you looking forward to more rank war matches?

* * *

 **This was short and awkward because there really wasn't anything for me to put here. Also, sorry if I messed up with any other Ocs. I still hope you enjoyed.**


	42. Kotowari Squad: Part 6

**I'm sorry this chapter is crap.**

* * *

 **Chapter 42:** Kotowari Squad: Part 6

* * *

"So we all honestly understand?"

"Yes."

"A-ah... I have a question..."

Suzume and Mei turned to Hoshi.

The kind and mild girl had her hand raised as her eyes darted around the floor, a blush present on her cheeks.

The three girls were the only ones in the squad room at the moment. This meant neither Toby nor Takeshi were there to listen or interrupt. That also meant they weren't there to stop the terror that would soon befall certain people.

"Yes? What is it?"

"W-well... You had mentioned a 'penalty'... What would that be?"

"I'm honestly glad you asked!"

It was at that moment, when Suzume had a grin, Hoshi knew she had asked a question she really didn't want to know the answer to.

"The penalty will be... Doing the task _while wearing a bunny girl outfit_."

Hoshi and Mei, two respectable and beautiful girls, froze in place. Such a task being done in such an embarrassing outfit was all it took for the two to rethink joining in on the "little competition" the Sniper-turned-All-Rounder had suggested.

The two wished that the boys would walk through the door right now.

"With the invasion now behind us, I figure we might as well try and lighten things up a bit. No one really seems messed up in any way, but that doesn't mean some are completely fine. Although, I honestly suppose that's my assumption. For all I know, everyone could be even more energized because of it happening."

The invasion from the Galopoula team had been over for a full day now, but it really didn't feel like much to Kotowari Squad, who had all but demolished their opponents during the invasion. None of them had anything particular change about them because of it, but they still felt like something was missing.

That being said, the squad seemed to have figured something out during the invasion and now seemed eager to show it off during the next rank war match. Even Hoshi was a bit fidgety about the whole thing.

Before the girls could continue their conversation, the door to the squad room opened up to show Toby walk in with Takeshi trailing after him.

"Welcome back, Toby-kun, Takeshi-kun."

"What were you two honestly doing anyways?"

Toby sat down after getting something to drink and faced the three girls with a rather bored look.

"Nothing much. I went over to ask Minoru and Mukuro for some pointers while Take here wanted to talk to Eri and Izumi about something. After that we both ended up meeting with Arafune Squad. Oh, right. Suzume, Tetsuji said he wanted to talk to you about 'a certain something' at some point."

Mei and Hoshi raised an eyebrow as they turned to Suzume. The girl herself seemed to nod to herself before waving her upperclassman and underclassman off.

Takeshi, who had been quiet the whole time, turned to Mei as he threw a mint into his mouth.

"Mei-san, anything about our Triggers? Toby's been a bit restless not having his to fight in solo matches."

Mei nodded her head and pulled out four Triggers from her bag.

The whole squad had wanted to chance a few things concerning their chosen Triggers, Mei stopped them from doing that. She had asked for their Triggers and said she would change the choices as well as something else. Apparently she wanted them all to have a new look.

They were all fine with it, they all trusted Mei a lot. The three who were originally part of Tsukiko Squad didn't know it at the time, but they had felt grateful for the chance. They thought it was their way of fully moving on from the disbandment.

"So, as asked, Toby has Scorpion, Teleport, Special Teleport and Starlight in his Main Trigger slots, Scorpion, Shield and Chameleon in his Sub Trigger slots. An empty slot just in case."

"Awesome. Thanks."

"Takeshi has Asteroid, Meteora, Zanzo and Teleport in his Main Trigger slots, Asteroid, Viper and Bagworm in his Sub Trigger slots. Also an empty slot, just in case."

"Thank you."

"For Suzume, Lightning, Egret, Ibis, and Bagworm in your Main Trigger slots. Handgun Asteroid, Scorpion, Teleport and Sheild in your Sub Trigger slots."

"Thank you~ Mei-san~"

"And lastly we have Hoshi. Kōgetsu, Senku, Teleport and Fujin, new and improved. I figured I would help out in perfecting it. Then there's Viper, Meteora, Zanzo and Special Teleport."

"Thank you very much."

"Now then... Why don't you turn them on and see what your new outfits look like?"

The four looked at each other before nodding.

With a simultaneous shout of, "Trigger on!" the four's clothing changed.

Hoshi looked as herself in the full-body mirror that was in the room. Her long black hair was tied in a ponytail with the crescent moon hair clip placed at the top of the ponytail. She was wearing a pair of pants and a t-shirt that covered her navel. Above the shirt, she was wearing a jacket that had one sleeve cut off.

Suzume noticed that she was wearing an opposite version of Hoshi's outfit. She had shorts, a t-shirt that was cut to show her navel and a jacket that had one sleeve cut off. She also had a (small) tail created by her hair. A music note necklace was hanging around her neck.

Toby clenched his fist with a grin before up punching the air a few times. He had on a sleeveless jacket zipped up all the way and shorts. On the side of his trapper had appeared to be an image of a wolf.

Takeshi seemed to be wearing the opposite of Toby with a long sleeve jacket (unzipped) and pants. He took note of the fact his scarf now had an image of a bullet at the end of it.

Overall the four of them gave off a sort of asymmetrical beauty.

The first to react was Hoshi.

"Ah! This looks so good!"

Next was Suzume.

"This honestly looks hot."

Afterwards was Toby.

"Nice! No clothes keeping me from moving any way I want!"

Lastly was Takeshi.

"... What is with the images?"

Mei took their appearances and nodded to herself with a sort of prideful aura.

She had thought about the four if them were basically opposites if each other with Hoshi being kind and meek while Suzume was outgoing and outspoken, Toby being wild and hard to control while Takeshi was calm and collected. She figured this new look was a good way to show how each person's opposite personalities could work together in harmony.

"Looks like you all enjoy it. Toby, that wolf is something I modeled after the beast known as Fenrir from Norse mythology."

"Oh! I know about that! So cool~!"

"Takeshi, there wasn't much I could put for you, since nothing felt right. I ended up just putting the bullet there."

"I see..."

"Now then," Mei continued, "I know you probably want to show off your new looks, but at least let me inform you of who our next opponents are."

The four quieted down and turned to their Operator. They all seemed excited about the next match, Takeshi even seemed to have a spark in his eyes.

"Our next match is against Ninomiya Squad and Suzunari-1. Kuruma Squad."

Ninomiya Squad, the #1 B-Rank squad, was a squad that they had faced in their first match of the current B-Rank wars. That was something three of the four would have liked to forget, but they didn't for the sole reason of that being a reference point. They wanted to remember it so that they wouldn't end up like that again. They were now a solid team that would always rely on each other.

On the other hand, Kuruma Squad held an ace that Hoshi was very familiar with. Murakami Kou was always a breath of fresh air. That's what Murakami Kou had always been to Hoshi. He was a nice, cool breath of fresh air that, from when they met, saw her and her brother as people he could get along with and _not_ a vicious person or an reachable princess.

"Alright. I have some work to do, so you four are free to go do as you please."

* * *

Suzume was enjoying the attention she was getting.

She wasn't the thpe of person who _thrived_ on attention, but she did enjoy turning some head. She had never been the modest type, so something like this wasn't anything particularly new to anyone, but with how much skin she was showing, the guys around her really didn't know if they should look away or pull out their phones and take pictures.

'Right. To win, I need to first find either Tōru or Ken. Whatever. I've done this with both of them before already, so it won't be anything too major.'

The "little competition" Suzume had at up between her, Hoshi and Mei was something she thought she could win easily.

As she walked through the halls of Border she noticed a certain sniper with glasses walking by.

Grinning a bit, Suzume ran over to the glasses-wearing sniper and quickly hugged him. Her breasts seemed to want to suck him in as his head was clearly stuck between them.

"Wh-wh-what are you doing!?"

"Oh, Shouhei-kun! I'm glad I found you! Do you happen to know where Tōru is right now? I honestly need him for something at the moment."

"W-w-wait! Before that! P-please let me to!"

Doing as she was told, Suzume let go of the suffocating boy.

"Thank you... Now then, y-you wanted to know where Narasaka-senpai is, right?"

"What do you want?"

Narasaka walked up to the two from behind Kodera.

He took a quick look at Suzume's new outfit for a few seconds before turning around.

"Alright. We're done here. I hope you find a new teacher quickly."

"Wha-!? Hey! Don't think you're honestly escaping me, Tōru!"

To prevent the older one's escape, Suzume grabbed his arm and held it tightly. Right between her breasts.

Narasaka looked down at Suzume and saw her looking upl at him like a puppy waiting for a treat. This made him want to take a step back, but that wasn't a possibility with her clinging to his arm.

All of this seemed odd to Narasaka since, as mentioned multiple times, _he and Suzume were not on good terms_. True, she was now his student, alongside Kodera and Akane, but that didn't mean their relationship had changed. They still disliked each other.

Suzume on the other hand was having a problem of her own now.

'... What the honest hell is going on!?'

Something strang certainly was going on in Suzume.

'He is right here! I can get this over with and win! I've done this before! _With him_!'

"Are you going to continue to cling to me for much longer?"

"Huh?"

"I have somewhere to be. I can't really go anywhere with you clinging to me like this."

Suzume narrowed her eyes and hardened her resolve. She leaned in a bit closer, Narasaka backed his head away a bit at this.

Onlookers went wide eyed in anticipation. They thought they knew what was coming and so even got their phones out to take a picture of the rarest of rare occasions.

"You... You honestly have a hair near your eye. It's honestly bugging me."

Suzume stopped her face from getting any closer. She lifted her hand and carefully pulled a small hair from Narasaka's face before backing up, she flicked the hair to the side.

The people watching had multiple reactions from some letting out sighs to other clicking Eri tongues. Certain ones like Kodera simply stayed quiet, unsure of what to do in this situation.

One of the onlookers made their way over to the trio.

"Suzu!"

"Ken? Oh! Now's much chance! Ken! Come here! Quickly!"

Doing as he was told, Ken sped up his pace into a jog before standing in front of them. He seemed a bit tense, but otherwise fine.

Suzume grabbed his head.

"Suzu? Oh~ I get it~ It's one of those weird tests of yours, isn't- GAH!?"

Ken, not being in his Trion body at the time, held his head in pain while he squatted on the ground.

Narasaka stood behind Suzume with a small, but smug, expression.

Kodera's eyebrow went up.

"Hm~...! I'm sorry, Ken~! I honestly didn't mean to headbutt you, but... Mooooooooooohhhhhh! Forget it! I submit defeat for today! That doesn't mean Mei-san was right at all! I honestly didn't care that she's right 99.9% of the time! This time she's dead wrooooooooooooong! I refuse to honestly believe it!"

It wasn't just Kodera with a raised eyebrow at this point. Everyone around was looking at the new All-Rounder with questioning expression as she started shaking her head and yelling random things. They wondered what happened in the small amount of time to make her go from enjoying her new look to basically cursing her squad's Operator.

Narasaka and Satori seemed the most confused among everyone. They both thought that the situation would end up like a time before when she had kissed both for some "test" to see who was better at it. Instead the current situation was just her taking a hair from Narasaka's face and head butting Satori.

Suzume couldn't even be considered confused. The best way to describe her at the moment was "chaos". She tried to make every excuse while trying to rationalize everything that had just happened.

It seemed that she wasn't the only knew though as a loud commotion was going on a short distance away.

"Hey! Mei-san! N-no need to get so-! Whoa! Really!? Even after we got-! Whoa!"

If one were to turn their head to the side they would be able to see Mei going on a rampage. They would see her throw chairs and tables all around, headbutting multiple people and holding a limp Suwa by his head.

Yuki was standing nearby. It looked like he was trying to get near her, but he failed every time due to Mei swinging Suwa around like a rag doll. The whole thing looked like some animal taker trying to calm down a vicious animals.

Two of the three girls that are in Kotowari Squad were having some kind of meltdown. Everyone now knew the true terror of what that actually meant. They knew what _not_ to do now and would always remember to keep a good distance and stay on those two girls' good sides.

But...

There was still one more girl from Kotowari Squad that seemed to be missing from the scene of the destruction.

She was the the kindest and mildest one of the three.

* * *

Elsewhere...

"So there would need to be enough room to fit each slot... That rules out an earring or ring. Well... A Black Trigger can be anything, right? Fujin is just a 'hilt' while Shikifuku is 'three separate parts of a bracelet'. Maybe I can ask Fuji-ne-... Erm... Mei-nee-san for some help..."

Hoshi's appearance was much different from her usual princess-like look. Once she had left the squad room she had turned off her Trigger and went over to see Border's engineers. She figured that she would see what was going on there to get her mind off of what her "little competition" with Suzume and Mei would do to her.

It worked like a charm.

Her hair was all over the place - due to scratching her head for a good amount of time - and a splash of oil could be seen on her cheek. Her hoodies was tied rather messily around her waist while her shirt was leaning more to the left and exposing her shoulder.

Yet, somehow, she still gave off a "cute" feeling. It wasn't like the princess-like vibe she usually had, but it made her more approachable and endearing.

"Hey, hey. There's the one who left the branch. 'sup, Taiyōko Hoshi-san."

A person, who looked like they could be either a boy or a girl, walked up to Hoshi from behind and lightly patted her shoulder. The only way anyone could tell that this person was a girl was by the fact she was wearing a rather frilly skirt and a light hoodie.

"Huh? Ah. Arisa-chan. Hello."

"So, whatcha doin'? I thought you would either be with your squad or with Rokkun."

"Byoof!?"

"Aaaaaand from that reaction I can determine that..."

"Wh-wh-wh-why would I being with Waka-kun!? A-anyways... Shouldn't you be with Futoyuki-san and Kiyo-nii?"

"Nope. Turns out Akasora-oji-san was crazy tired and didn't notice a certain name was missing. Now I'm stick in a squad with just Futo. It sucks though. We had to think of a good last name for him and what we got was 'Hiinu', so now we are Hiinu Squad. Of course Nakagami Velvet-san is the branch's Operator. Although Taiyōko Mukuro-san, Taiyōko Kushi-san and Taiyōko Yuki-san don't seem to need any help. That's to be expected though, right?"

"Right... So, how is Tenryū Squad and Pyrínas-san?"

"Oh. The those three are fine. Apparently Shokubutsu-kun's been meeting with some B-Rank squad while the other two just follow him. As for Pyrínas-san, he's a good housewife. You know, I've been hearing about this Kizaki Reiji-san from Tamakoma Branch that is just as good as Pyrínas-san. Who do you think is a better housewife? I'm sure you've met this Kizaki Reiji-san, haven't you?"

"Yes. And I am really not sure who is a 'better housewife', to tell you the truth. They do both seem like twins though. Personality wise at least."

"I see..."

"Anyways. What about you personally? How are things for you, being in Mikado City and all."

"Oh. It's fine. I have yet to be enrolled in any schools, but I suppose that's what cultural festivals are for, huh? As for being involved with Border... I haven't really spoken to many people. I'm usually at the branch office or on duty. This is actually the...third time I've been in the base. Futo always wants to come by, but Pyrínas-san stops him, saying that 'It may still be a bit awkward for some of the ones who you have fought' or something. Although... I _have_ met this odd girl who seems hard to get along with. I think I saw her during the time you took out that big Kuma-san."

The two girls got a glazed look in their eyes as they simultaneously said, "Awww~~ Kuma-saaaaaan~~!"

Hoshi shook her head a bit before giving a smile again.

"You must be talking about Katori-san."

"Right, right! Katori Yōko-san."

If anyone was actually paying attention to the two girls then they would most likely think Arisa loved to talk like some kind of bird that won't shut up.

Well, three people actually were paying attention and walked up to the two girls.

"Why are you two talking about me."

"Hello, Hoshi-chan."

"Hi."

The two girls turned to see all of Katori Squad (minus Somei) standing there. The two could tell that Katori and Wakamura must have gotten into another fight since both seemed to be using Miura as a wall.

That was when...

"Ah!"

Hoshi quickly jumped behind Arisa and started patting her hair down. She quickly undid her hoodie and put it on before zipping it up all the way. She also used her sleeve to wipe off the oil on her face and the hood to cover her hair that wouldn't stay down.

"Hey, little girl, we already saw what you look like. Don't worry, this guy problaby won't shut up about you anyways."

"A-ah!?"

Hoshi seemed to ignore what Katori was saying in favor of covering her face with both hands and shaking her head.

She remember the "little competition" so vividly now.

* * *

 _"Mei-san, Hoshi-chan, I propose a..._ little competition _between us girls."_

 _Mei looked up from the monitor while Hoshi looked away from her phone._

 _Mei was well aware of what this could mean if it came from Suzume. Hoshi on the other hand tilted her head in a cute way._

 _Suzume wasn't known to many as "The Queen of Shipping" for no reason. She would go to any lengths to get some "material" on others. Rumor has it that she even used a chainsaw named Betty, before it was taken from her by Mei and Yuki._

 _Mei gave a skeptical look at Suzume while saying, "Go on..."_

 _"Right. I was honestly thinking... Now just hear me out here! ... A 'kissing game'. Now before you two go crazy on me or honestly ridicule me! I was thinking that each of us could use this game to figure something quite important out!"_

 _"... Go on..."_

 _"So! Since she's is already going out with him, Mei-san just has to kiss Yuki-san, on the lips. Hoshi-chan... Let's say Wakamura-kun. As for me-..."_

 _"Satori or Narasaka."_

 _"Ha! Alright! That should honestly be easy. Anyways, I was thinking that we have to do this in front of a crowd of people, so no one can lie about it. ... Not that any of us would lie. It can be a peck on the lips or a full-out kiss, but..._ it has to be on the lips. _"_

 _Mei cleared her throat._

 _Hoshi seemed to decided that she wanted to be a turtle as she hid her arms and kegs while using a nearby pillow to cover her face._

 _"The first one to do it is the full winner. That means they get to make one demand. The last person honestly has to do a penalty. The second person to give the kiss is free from both the win and the lose. A neutral zone."_

 _"Hm... It_ seems _fair. Even you will have trouble with this."_

 _"Why do you say that? I've honestly kissed both Ken and Tōru before. It won't be anything much."_

 _"Apparently you haven't noticed at all. You three have developed a rather..._ odd _relationship since then. I'm sure you can figure it out by yourself, but basically, you are stuck in a love triangle. Where_ you _sway is something even I can't decide on."_

 _"Hm. You honestly don't understand this, Mei-san. No offense of course. I'll be fine."_

 _With a flip of her hair, Suzume grinned as she looked at the two._

 _"So we all honesty understand?"_

* * *

"I-! How-! But-! Agree-! Command-! Demand-! Can't-! Waka-! #^%*^-!"

The four people standing there stared at Hoshi with very confused expression.

Hoshi had gone from standing and smiling next to Arisa to jumping behind Arisa to just muttering and yelling random things while pulling her hood over her head.

Katori didn't seem to care at all while Miura asked Arisa what was with Hoshi.

Wakamura on the other hand...

"Are you okay? Is there something wrong?"

He had walked around Arisa and looked at Hoshi directly. He looked at he with a worried expression, which only we when he saw Hoshi look up at him with a face covered in red.

Hoshi's lips started to move, as if trying to make an actual sentence. Nothing came out. She raised her hand high in the air, getting everyone's attention, and quickly brought it down on herself.

There was a resounding sound from behind Arisa.

Luckily, or not, for Hoshi, the redness from the self-inflicted slap seemed to blend in with the rest of her red face.

"Hey! Why did you-... !?"

Wakamura went wide eyed when his face was suddenly grabbed and a pair of (really soft) lips were pressed against his.

Everyone, even Katori, stared at the two with eyes the size of plates. None if them could tell if what they were seeing was real or just their eyes playing tricks on them. Some even went so far as to pinch themselves or throw water on themselves.

Hoshi pulled her head back after a few seconds.

It took another few seconds for her to realized what she had just done.

That's when it happened.

"She said a peck! Shesaidapeck! Shesaidapeck! Shesaidapeeeeeeeeeeeck! Why! Why! Why! Did I-...!? BERBER BUMBUM! #^%*#^! I AM SOOOOO SORRY!"

Hoshi quickly lowered her head in apology, but she didn't notice just how close she still was to Wakamura and ended up headbutting the dazed agent.

He quickly fell to the ground due to the hit from the hard-headed girl.

Hoshi quickly made a mad dash to some random direction while people _swore_ they saw steam pouring from her ears.

"..."

Katori blinked a few times before walking up to her fallen teammate.

"..."

She looked down at him and lightly kicked his head.

Apparently that headbutt had knocked him out.

"... This idiot's glasses are too fogged up..."

* * *

Toby and Takeshi walked back to their squad room with a nice atmosphere around them. Toby was humming with his hands behind his head while Takeshi flipped through a small notebook.

The two had gone off to "show off the new uniforms" to others. It ended up with the two actually getting a good amount of girls' attention. The two delt with it in a professional manner with Toby giving a big, toothy smile while Takeshi hid behind his scarf.

"Hehe~ Told ya girls like the muscles~ Although I'm nowhere near Minoru. Then again, I don't want to end up like Reiji or Atsushi."

"That's fine. Someone like you, who relies on quick movements and dodges, doesn't really need to have beefy arms or a six pack. Then again, things like like don't really matter when in a Trion body."

"Yeah. Guess you're right. Oh! By the way, I've had my SE 'on' the whole day. It's rather annoying when someone is coming up to me, but I'm getting pretty use to it by now."

"Good. I know how you like to 'enjoy close range fights', but it would be best to always have it 'on'. I'm actually glad to see that Minoru-senpai and Mukuro-senpai can determine how much your Side Effect can go."

"Agreed. I knew that I wouldn't be able to keep up with either one even with it fully 'on' but damn man, Minoru really let me have it. If Mukuro wasn't so lazy, I'm sure he would have beaten me to the ground too."

This kind of atmosphere was a very odd one. Not because it was a happy and casual one, but because of who it was around.

Ever since the squad had gotten back on good terms again, these two had been getting along more and more. It seemed like they were even closer than before the disbandment. They didn't really "argue" much and would actually have some real conversations every now and then.

Takeshi even started learning how to make food for himself so that he wouldn't have to ask Toby to make something.

"So, what about you? How are things going with you training?"

"Not as easy as you have it. I had seen what Nasu-senpai had done during the attack, and it seems that even Asano-senpai has 'leveled up' more. They aren't the only ones. Osamu has started using Spider, that seems to be a great thing for his squad. I need to also 'level up' so that I'm not left behind by the other Shooters. This is what my current 'level' looks like."

Takeshi pulled out his phone and handed it to Toby to look at.

"Whoa~ Looks like you're 'Attack', 'Skill' and 'Mobility' have gone up. That's good. Especially since out squad seems to rely on speed and mobility. I didn't see how anything is wrong with this. It's definitely something that earns our squad's 'ace' spot."

"No. That's not right. You can still counter it with your Side Effect. Suzume-senpai already knows how I move my Trion orbs and-"

"'And Hoshi is growing at a fast rate that gives her the 'ace' spot', right? Don't sell yourself short, dude. True, I can dodge them with my SE, but even I would feel pressured against you. Suzume may known how you move your Trion, but that doesn't mean she's quick enough to dodge them. And like you think, Hoshi is still growing. In a sense she's 'behind us three', although not too far. Anyways. We are a team, so it's not like any of us are doing this alone. And that's not mentioning how you and Mei are the squad's brains."

Toby gave another toothy grin as he looked at Takeshi.

Takeshi response to this was just to lift his scarf.

"Aw~ So cute~" Toby put an arm around Takeshi's shoulder. "Just leave the stealth and preciseness to Suzume and Hoshi. And of course you can leve the muscle work to yours truly. I mean, look at these guns. Not even Superman can stand up to them."

"When did you start talking about American comics?"

"Hahaha! Guess you're right!"

"Now then. Why don't we discuss what we will-...do..."

When Toby and Takeshi opened the door to the squad's room they came to a sigh they really didn't understand.

Hoshi seemed to have built a small fort made up of the sofa's cushions and just block everyone out. Suzume was over in a corner with a dark cloud over her head. Mei seemed to be the worst one with bandages wrapped around her head and an upside down book in her hand.

The two boys looked at each other for a few seconds before making their way into the room.

"Excuse us... Is now a good time to discuss the next match...?"

The three girls didn't say anything and simply stayed in their spots. It almost seemed like they were statues. The only indication that they were still alive was the fact Mei's chest was moving, the small cushion fort moved from time-to-time and small whispers could be heard from the corner.

Takeshi looked over at Toby, who shrugged his shoulders.

The two boys decided they would just waited it out and took a seat.

'What a weird day.'

* * *

QOTC: What's worse between my romance scenes and fight scenes?

* * *

 **Alright! A special one for the small one! This was kinda just something I needed to get out of my system. It was just suppose to be about the girls, but I added that little bro moment between the boys because I felt I haven't really done much with them in a while.**

 **Sorry if you didn't like the "love" aspect of this chapter. Don't worry though, next chapter we will get back on track with the B-Rank Wars. Also... Because I suck at this "love" thing...**

 **I hope you all enjoyed.**

 **Until next time... See ya!**


	43. Taiyōko Family

**Chapter 7:** Taiyōko Family

* * *

"Okay, so we'll do this the 'Suzume Way'. Here, put the earbud in."

Doing as he was told, Takeshi took the earbud from Toby and put it in his ear. He heard a nice and calming song playing. He listened to the lyrics before it was put on pause.

Toby, looking rather round of himself, looked at Takeshi while a few papers were on the table.

"So, repeat after me. (Come stop your crying.)"

"(C-... C'me stop yo' cr...eein'...)"

"Getting better. You missed a few things, but otherwise that was actually pretty good. Heh. Definitely better than Maya."

Toby and Takeshi had decide that they would just wait for the three girls to get put of their own little worlds. Toby started up another English lesson with Takeshi as they waited. It had been around ten minutes since they came into the room, so they didn't bother trying to get the girls.

Suzume was in the corner, thinking about why she couldn't repeat a "certain action" with two "certain boys". She had done it before, but couldn't anymore.

Mei was at her chair, thinking about how she couldn't do a "certain action" with a "certain boy". They were together now, so it shouldn't have mattered.

Hoshi was in her cushion fort, thinking about the reason she did "a certain action" with "a certain boy". She wasn't sure how to really react, so she shut herself in a bit.

 **SLAM!**

"Alright, bitches! I'm here to help you all out! I haven't gotten much screen time, so I'm making some! Taiyōko Kushikage - The Unmatched Valkyrie - is here to help you little fuckers!"

Everyone jumped once the door slammed open. They all turned to see a fiery haired woman with a highly revealing outfit making her way into the room. Both Hoshi and Mei knew who exactly she was, but the other three just gave her a confused look.

This was the first time Toby, Takeshi and Suzume had seen the woman before, but all three all could tell that she surpassed Suzume in the "Show as much skin as possible" category.

"Kushi-nee... What are you doing here...?"

Kushikage looked over at her sister before walking up to her.

With one movement of her arm, Kushikage threw alk the cushions to the side, revealing the girl.

Toby and Takeshi simply sat there as they watched.

Kushikage moved over to Suzume. She grabbed her by the waist before tossing her onto the same sofa Hoshi was on.

Her last victim was Mei, one if the strongest people the squad knew. Kushikage lifted her up like a sack of potatoes before dumping her on the single chair between the two sofas.

"I'd rather like to annoy the fuck outta Fuji right now, but we at the Yagura Branch have decided to help you little shits out! My part in all of this is to help you come up with a good plan to fight!"

Kushikage pulled the bag from her shoulder and slammed it onto the ground.

Suzume, Toby and Takeshi wanted to ask who she was, but couldn't form the words as she gave off an intimidating aura that kept the three from talking. Hoshi was going to say something as well, expect she already knew her older sister wouldn't actually listen to her.

"Alright! Normally Mukuro would help in this kind of thing, but since he's helping out Chibi-Fenrir over there, he's decided that he's done enough! Kiyoshi would be the next one, but he's doing something else! Now then! Your next opponents are Suzunari-1 and Ninomiya Squad. That means you all-"

"Hey. Stop lying." Mei gave a sharp glare. "Why are you really here?"

"... Sigh. Look, you lit wanna join the Yagura Branch after becoming A-Rank, right?"

"Where did you-"

"Akasora-san. Apparently Chibi-Fenrir and Grayscale over there had asked him about it before. Ho-chance already told us that she would return at some point. Queen Ship had spoken to Velvet about it at some point. And I'm sure you would want to be with Kiyoshi."

The whole squad looked at each other for a few seconds before nodding their heads and straightened up.

"Good. So, the Yagura Branch only takes in pieces of shits that usually don't have anywhere to go or do, but we make exceptions for badass fuckers who can beat down others."

"By that she just means stong people."

"Right! Although Shobu-chan and his squad are still C-Rank, they're climbing the later like crazy after these last two attacks from Neighbors. That being said, we at the Yagura Branch are training them along side Futo and Arisa. That means they will all be entering the Rank Wars next time. You will have to go against them if you can't make it this time. I personally don't give a shit about that kind of stuff, but it would be best to make sure your three squads don't clash."

"Can we get back to the planning?"

"Right. For starters, tell me what you all had already planned."

Toby, Hoshi and Suzume turned their heads to Takeshi and Mei. The two were the brains if the squad, so thing like this were left up to those two.

Takeshi was the one to speak up first.

"I had thought that it would be best to let Suzume-senpai take out the sniper while Toby goes for the Gunners and Shooter. I would hold off Murakami-senpai and/or Tsuji-senpai. Hoshi would back up either me or Toby, depending on who she is closer to at the time. Once Senpai takes out the sniper, she would head over to assist me with Murakami-senpai. If it ends up in different battles, like Toby having to fight against Murakami-senpai or Hoshi directly confronting someone, it would be up to me and Senpai to assist them. If we are lucky enough, we would all go for a large attack of any target we find."

"..."

The air around Kushikage gave off a vibe that even Mei was unfamiliar with. She usually had a playful, if not annoying, feel to her, but this time she felt like a real A-Rank agent.

Mei had been wary about letting Kushikage near her squad, but now she wasn't so sure about her judgement. If both Yuki and Akasora had allowed her to "be free" like this then she really didn't know what to do.

After a few second, Kushikage spoke.

"Fucking pointless."

They saw it for the first time.

They all saw the eyes belonging the oldest sibling of the family of soldiers. It wasn't like her usual mischievous look. It was the real and genuine look of a soldier getting ready for a war.

"Both squads know you well enough to guess, with a 70% chance of being correct, what you will do. Taking out a sniper is what you always start out with, so it's safe to assume that Ninomiya Squad will be trying to find Suzunari's sniper so that they can take both him and Suzumebachi out in one go. That being said, Suzunari will also head to their sniper. They will protect him while also try to take you out. Suzunari has the right to choose the area this time, so that means they will have a very small advantage in that regard. Fuji, calculate what the odds are of each person having to Bail Out if all squads reached at the same point."

"Alright... Taichi, Kuruma, Tsuji, and Suzume all have a 80% chance... Hoshi, Takeshi and Inuaki all have a 67% chance... Toby has a 50% chance... Murakami has a 40% chance... Ninomiya has... Hm? 50%?"

"Those odds don't look good at all. And that's still just saying that you will all reach the same point at the same time. During a fight, sneak attacks are key at times, but ones who can attack head-on or from a good distance will. Takeshi and Masataka are Shooters will a large amount of skill, so that means they will automatically have targets on their backs the moment they enter the field. While they would still go after each other, Kou and Shinnosuke would try and take out Toby as soon as they can so that their long-range and mid-range fighters could get a better chance at scoring points. Mukuro had told me just how good your Side Effect is, but that means nothing when pressured by people like those two."

"Yeah... I know..."

They all knew how that would turn out.

Murakami was in the top ranking for Attackers, he wouldn't be taken down by Toby alone.

That wasn't to say that Toby wasn't strong though.

Kushikage continued.

"Then there is Tatsuya. He may not be the strongest when compared to your squad or Ninomiya Squad, but that's exactly why he's dangerous. If you focus on just Kou and Ninomiya Squad then you will forget about him and get taken out. In a way, that is much more dangerous than any sniper. That being said, he could he used as an asset to you. You just need to play him right. You can use him as a shield or as a pawn to draw attention from yourselves. Masataka is stronger than Rei is, but Tamakoma-2's Osamu had the right idea when he was fighting against Rei. That being said, make sure you don't give Tatsuya _that much_ room. He may think he could switch and take one of you out while you aren't looking. Keep a short leash on him. While we are on the topic of Gunners, let's talk about their guns. A Gunner is a Gunner because use they have guns. If they have their guns taken away then then can't do much when it comes to fighting. That is why Shooters are more difficult to fight against at times. Even if they are just a head and body, they can still make their Trion bullets and attack."

Toby grinned once he heard this.

"So, basically what your saying is that we need to take away Haru and Tatsuya's guns, or even take their arms away? That shouldn't be too hard. I'll just use Teleport and chose them right off."

"If you can then do so. Still be cautious though."

Kushikage turned to Mei before turning to her desk.

"Fuji, you have a list if these guys' Triggers, right?"

"Yes."

"Lemme see them."

Following the order, although a bit reluctantly, Mei walked over to her desk and opened it up to pull out a single piece of paper. She handed it to Kushikage and sat back down.

"Hm... Okay... Toby, you've been training with Mukuro _and_ Minoru, right? Chameleon is a good choice for someone like you then. I'm sure you got that from Minoru. Your squad gets this Teleport usage from Kiyoshi, so... Why don't you all just use the Special Teleport? It can work in a multitude of ways. Well, I suppose that would be difficult for someone like Takeshi and Suzumebachi thought, so it can be overlooked. Now then... These prototype Triggers Hoshi has made... Is Fujin the only one that's finished?"

Mei spoke up again. She wasn't use to this side of Kushikage, so she unknowingly softened her voice as she spoke.

The rest if the squad just watched on.

"No. I helped to correct the issues with Starlight after I helped put with Fujin."

"Then why is it on Toby? He may be pressured at times from Gunners and Shooters, but for the most part he can dodge hits from people like Masataka. There really is no need for him to have it. If anything, Takeshi and Suzumebachi should have it. Also, Toby, I suggest adding Viper to one of your slots. Whether you see that as a direction copy of Minoru or not, I don't give a damn. You are classified as a genius, that means you should have the smarts to control a 'free Viper' like Rei. Don't waste your slots on so thing that's useless and wasted on you."

Toby scrunched up his eyebrows once he thought about this. It was true that he could control a 'free Viper', but he never found a need for it. He left the distance attacks to Takeshi and Suzume. He never found a reason to have a Shooter-type Trigger.

Takeshi, on the other hand, seemed to be thinking about something else at hearing this.

Kushikage let out a sigh once she noticed the two boys.

"Why don't we just take a break?"

* * *

Murakami Kou left the building and was headed to a nearby convenience store.

He had been discussing what to do for the next B-Rank War match. Suzunari's Kuruma Squad's Betsuyaku Taichi had ended up being his genuinely, accidentally and evilly clumsy self. The snacks that had been brought to the table had ended up on the floor with one swoop of the arm.

Kuruma had asked Murakami to go to the store to get some more snacks as he calmed down the squad's Operator. He was also pretty busy keeping Taichi from causing more damage to the room.

Now here he was walking to the small store.

When he thought about it, Murakami couldn't help but think about how he would go about the next match. One of the squads he was having to face was Kotowari Squad. That itself wasn't a problem, he had fought against their Attacker before and even gone against them before in a Rank War match, the problem was their newest member.

He had quickly taken a sibling liking to Taiyōko Hoshi. He had known her brother for longer, he had quickly become protective of her. He figured it was because she always seemed to honest and innocent. She had even started to call him "Kou-nii", "Kou-nii-san", and such. He never would think that he would have to fight her in any shape or form.

Regardless.

He would do what he could for his squad, meaning that he would fight her in the B-Rank Wars. The issue wasn't he himself, the real issue was Hoshi. As mentioned before, she thought of him as another brother. Murakami was worried that she wouldn't be able to fight against him due to that fact.

"Kou, mind if I talk to you?"

Shaking his head a bit, Murakami looked forward to see Tsukiko Yuki standing there with his hands in his hoodie's pocket. He did wonder why the other's hood was actually up though.

Yuki have a small sneer on his face as he looked around. Overall he seemed like some drug dealer who was trying to find some police.

"What's up, Kiyoshi?"

"Hm. You also went back to calling me that? Kage's finally cooling down and calling me that again."

"Oh. You don't like it? Sorry. It just feels rather refreshing to call you that instead of 'Yuki'. Of course I will stop if you don't like it. Wouldn't want you going on some rampage again."

"Nah. It's fine. I'm over that. Just call me whatever you want."

"Alright. So, what's with the hood? And what did you want to talk about?"

"Tsk. Seriously need to ask about the hood? I'm sure you've seen it happen at school. Some crazy fangirls decided that I was 'the best way to get to Arashiyama-san and his squad'. After I showed up on the conference with Sensei, girls have been after me. Thankfully it doesn't seem to be as bad as Arashiyama though."

"Heh~ Looks like you've become quite the popular guy. Remember when you scared everyone off?"

"Yeah, yeah, just rub it in. Whatever."

The two let out laughs as they reached the store.

"Anyways. I wanted to talk to you about the next round."

The obvious answer. That was obviously what Yuki wanted to talk about.

What he was going to say was also obvious.

"Beat them all down."

Murakami Kou wasn't a violent person at all, and he knew that Yuki had cooled down since a few years ago, so he could easily translate what Yuki meant by saying this.

When someone would hear the words "Beat them all down" they might think that they wanted the person to go absolutely crazy and have a full victory that might even scare others.

When Murakami Kou heard the words "Beat them all down" from Yuki he could easily tell that meant only one thing.

"No need to tell me. I was never planning on going easy on _any of them_. Hoshi is no exception. Nice to know you feel the same way though."

"Yeah. _We_ know that Hoshi will hold back due to her mental state when it comes to people like us, so it's better to get her to Bail Out right away. Diverting her to another opponent is pointless since she will still think she has to go against you. Honestly, it's a bit of a hassle. Even I can't find some way for this to work out for her. As for the rest of them, I'll let you and your squad deal with that. I'm no longer their captain, so I can only see this match as an outsider. Even as Takeshi's teacher, I won't be bias to this match."

"Hm. Be careful. When you say 'you aren't their captain anymore' it sounds like we would have no chance at winning if you were still in."

"What can I say? Once I would take down Masataka, you would be next. Just keep your eyes locked on victory and you'll be fine. This isn't some crappy shounen manga where we good get 'power-ups because of friendship'. True, fighting spirit is necessary at times, but that's exactly why Hoshi isn't suited for a fight against you. She won't have any 'fighting spirit' if she does. And Mei is sure to know that already."

Murakami nodded his head as he grabbed the bag of snacks.

Murakami was one of the only people Yuki could say he trusted with his life. That meant the two could talk and say whatever they we'd to each other without having to worry about any malice.

That being said, Yuki also knew that Murakami was one of the best people to trust his former squad to for some extra push.

"So, I have an idea."

"Please, do tell."

"I've been helping out Takeshi, so I know how he currently fights. You can find Suzume training with Narasaka or just doing some solo matches. Toby comes by to train with Mukuro, so I also know his style. Would you like to have a few solo matches?"

"... Hm. You say you aren't their captain, yet you still act like it."

Yuki gave a large grin.

Murakami let out a small sigh and shook his head.

"How many rounds?"

* * *

Taiyōko Mukuro was known as a genius among geniuses. He graduated from high school while his own older brother was still starting it. He had been asked to help in many places and was even offered a large amount of money.

He declined it all.

A large amount of people wondered why he decided not to go into a field that would be best for his large intellect and instead went to Border, an organization that didn't even have anything to do with things like the army.

His only answer was "Because my family joined it."

His appearance was that of a walking corpse, but no one ever bothered with that since he always looked like that, even as a child.

Before joining Border, he had gone with his older sister to Sweden. Once there, he joined Border and quickly made it to A-Rank. He had gone to the same rank as his sister. The two didn't form a squad or anything, yet he had risen to A-Rank.

That itself was proof of his intellect.

Once he made it to A-Rank he had little time to sleep. Not because he didn't have a choice, he chose to stay away through multiple days and nights. More than a few days without sleep was always bad for any person's health, but that never seemed to effect him.

When he would get hurt by his two older siblings he had always thought it was because they wanted him to sleep. He continued to force that thought into his kind, even if he knew the real reason.

That didn't mean he didn't try to actually get some sleep himself.

That was hard though when others were poking him.

"..."

Mukuro slowly lifted his head from his arms and saw two people standing there. They were both wearing a suit, but while one had blond hair the other had black hair.

"Hello~ You're Kiyo's younger bro, right? Name's Inukai Sumiharu. This guy here is Tsuji Shinnosuke."

"..."

"I thought it would be best for us to get along. Your brother and younger sister get along with us, so why not join them?"

Inukai was playing around when he said the latter part, but really did want to get to know another one of the Taiyōko siblings.

"Alright."

Tsuji, who was atsning behind Inukai, raised an eyebrow.

He had been skeptical about the corpse-like boy and thought he would deny, but it didn't seem like it.

So he voiced his confusion.

"Just like that?"

"Hm? Yeah. If my family likes you, there's no reason for me not to. Hellooooooo~~"

As he spoke, Mukuro let out a long and tired sigh. He put his head back on his arms and stared at the two with a bored and tired look.

Inukai let out a laugh before taking a seat.

Tsuji followed his lead, but more cautiously.

There was something about this boy that seemed off to Tsuji. He wasn't sure about what it was, but it felt like there was much more to him than meets the eye.

"So, what rank are you? I'm guessing A-Rank, since you don't have the B-Rank emblem anywhere on your outfit. Then again, that's your real body, right? I guess you wouldn't really have the emblem on you then."

"... I see why those two like you..."

"Huh? You do? Hahaha!"

"You talk so muuuuuu~~~ch that they don't have to say a single word."

Mukuro shifted in his seat and ended up meetin Tsuji's skeptical gaze.

While Inukai started talking again, Tsuji and Mukuro seemed to be having a staring contest. The former A-Rank tried to see if he could find what he was so cautious about, the A-Rank seemed to be sizing Tsuji up.

That was when one of them finally cracked.

It was Tsuji.

"...!"

Inukai turned to his teammate with a raised eyebrow.

Tsuji didn't make any big movements, but he did look like he wanted to leave really badly right now. He had gotten the chills, which no one could see because of the suit's long sleeves.

Mukuro just continued to sit there with a bored and tired look.

"Oh yeah... You said your name is Inukai Sumiharu, right? I'm pretty sure I've heard Minoru say that name."

"Huh? You know Minoru too?"

"We are both semi-in charge of training Toby Awdry. That's not to mention I was forced to fight against him by my older sister. Either waaaaaa~~y, he seems fine too."

"Oh yeah! You have an older sister! What's she like?"

"I wouldn't try tooooo~~ get with her, if I was you."

"Hm? That's fine. I'm already with someone."

"Okay. She is waaaaaaaaa~~~~y strong! both in and out of a Trion body... When we were in Sweden she was given the nickname 'The Unmatched Valkyrie'. I'm suuuu~~re she can keep up with this place's #1. Although, she hasn't had much time to have any fights. She's been held back by Akasora-san and Kiyo-nii. Probably because they booo~~the know how strong she is too. Man... Talking this much is so annoying..."

Inukai let out another laugh. He found Mukuro amusing and interesting since he seemed so different from his older brother and younger sister.

Tsuji on the other hand seemed to be fidgeting in his seat. He had been feeling uncomfortable this whole time and just wanted to walk away. Every time he was going to excuse himself he would feel nervous and stay in his seat.

Mukuro let out a sigh and shifted one more time.

He was thinking of getting up, but was stopped by one small thing.

"(Yuki! I found you!)"

Rather, a small person.

A small girl with heterochromatic eyes had suddenly jumped onto Mukuro with a large smile on her face.

The small girl was known as Michelle Schneider. She was currently staying with Minrou, but she was originally from Germany.

"(Huh? You're not Yuki. Weird... I thought I was reading Yuki's mind...)"

"(Little girl, you didn't make a mistake... Well, you actually did. I'm guessing you have some Side Effect to read other people's minds. Anyways~... You are looking for my older brother.)"

"(Oh! Sor-... Hey! Now I'm picking up thoughts from that lady with bad language and chilly underwear!)"

Mukuro lifted the girl off of himself and held her in the air as he stood up.

Michelle tilted her head and stared back at him.

Inukai and Tsuji were confused as to what was going on. Inukai knew who Michelle was because of two of his best friends, but he dye ow what either he was saying.

The heterochromatic-eyed girl and the corpse-like boy stared at each other for a few seconds.

Michelle started to speak again.

"(Hey! Now you 'sound' like Mi-! You changed again! Now it's like-! Hey! Now it's like mi-! That's no fair!)"

Mukuro let out a sigh before placing Michelle on the ground and turning to Inukai.

He already figured it put. His large intellect that got him the title of "genius among geniuses" had figured out what exactly was going on, so he wanted to do hoe thing else.

"Inukai. Do you know where Minoru is? This little girl apparently thought I was my brother, I might as well take her to Minoru."

"Hm? Oh. Sure. I'll take you to him. Tsuji, you coming?"

Tsuji let out a small sigh of releif. He looked up at the two and shook his head.

"Okay. I'll see you later then."

Tsuji relaxed in his seat. He then moved forward and leaned on the table while thinking.

'It was like I was looking at myself...'

Before joining Border, he had gone with his older sister to Sweden. Once there, he joined Border and quickly made it to A-Rank. He had gone to the same rank as his sister. The two didn't form a squad or anything, yet he had risen to A-Rank.

His appearance was that of a walking corpse, but no one ever bothered with that since he always looked like that, even as a child.

He graduated from high school while his own older brother was still starting it. He had been asked to help in many places and was even offered a large amount of money.

He declined it all.

A large amount of people wondered why he decided not to go into a field that would be best for his large intellect and instead went to Border, an organization that didn't even have anything to do with things like the army.

His only answer was "Because my family joined it."

Taiyōko Mukuro was a genius among geniuses.

* * *

[Hello. Welcome to the sixth round of the B-Rank Wars. I am Seiza Kurome of Bakuto Squad. I will be your host for this match. With me, I have Hikigane Sekai, the captain of Hikigane Squad, and Hatohara Minoru, from Hatohara Squad.]

[ **Sigh. Yo.** ]

[ _Hey._ ]

[This match will be Ninomiya Squad against Kotowari Squad against Suzunari's Kuruma Squad. The squad that had the right to chose the area was Kuruma Squad, and it seems they have gone with "Urban Area C". This area has decent-sized places and quite a bit of open areas.]

[ _They are well aware of what their opposing squads are capable of, so this kind of area seems odd. Although it doesn't give many places to hide once you've been found._ ]

[ **Sigh. I doubt that it would be a much of an issue in the first place. Masataka and Kotowari could easily mow down or get around any obstacle around them. They were probably thinking that open areas would be the best place for them to dodge and attack at once. Although...** ]

[Hm? What is it?]

[ _Ah~ I know what you mean._ ]

[Um...]

[ _Kotowari Squad's specialty is Teleport._ ]

[That's right. I had forgotten about that. An open area is ideal for them.]

[ _Well, I guess we just have to see what happens now._ ]

[Right. Now that that is over, let's begin the sixth round of the B-Rank Wars.]

* * *

QOTC: Who is your favorite Taiyōko?

* * *

 **And there's that. It was suppose to be another KS chapter, but that got changed last minute. I still hope you all enjoyed.**

 **Until next time... See ya!**


	44. Hoshi Taiyōko: Part 3

**Warning:** This chapter was made by a half-asleep idiot. You have been warned.

* * *

 **Chapter 44:** Hoshi Taiyōko: Part 3

* * *

It was dark.

It was hard to see.

Even if the chosen area was one that had a few areas, no one could actually see those areas. It was pitch black with no moon out. There were a few lights lining a few narrow ways, but they didn't help much with the deep fog covering the area.

It was quickly proven that this battle would be a difficult one for all teams. Even with Radar, things would be difficult since the visibility was so low.

* * *

[ _So that's their counter for Teleport.]_

[ **Having the area be completely dark with such dense fog would definitely hinder someone with Teleport. That being said, it also stops Kuruma Squad from moving around too much. That doesn't go well with their Sniper and Gunner, who need to be at a distance.** ]

[Even so, that stops Inukai from doing much either, right?]

[ _Comparing each squad, Kuruma Squad has lost use of two long-range attacks. Kotowari Squad hasn't lost anything. Ninomiya Squad has only lost Haru-chan. But that doesn't mean they_ have _to be far away to attack._ ]

[ **It seems more like they're being self-destructive here.** ]

While down in the seated area...

"Mukuro."

"Shouldn't you know what's going on~? Don't you hang out with Suzunari-1?"

Yuki gave a sharp jab at his younger brother's side.

The two were standing above all the seats and speaking in a more mushed tone. Kushikage sat in the seat right under them with her arms crossed under her breasts.

"Fine, fine~"

Mukuro let out a sigh.

He lazily looked at the screen with a dazed expression. He looked like he was about to fall asleep right there, but his two siblings knew exactly what he was doing.

Yuki looked at Mukuro while Kushikage gave a quick glance up at her younger brother.

"So?" the two older ones asked in unison.

"What Kuruma Squad is most likely going for is-"

* * *

'No attacks have been fired yet. Everything seems to be going fine.'

Kuruma continued to run as he thought. There were only three targets shown on the Radar, meaning that they were three people who did not have Bagworm.

His squad had the right to choose the location and conditions, so they had the advantage. They came up with a strategy, not to win but to score points.

 _"Kotowari is nearby. He's moving at a slow pace. He probably trying to be careful and not give away his position."_

 _"I'm on my way right now, Kuruma-san."_

Kuruma started running towards the closest person on Radar as he heard the Operator and Attack speaking.

He stopped by a building when he noticed he was close enough. He couldn't see Takeshi anywhere due to the fog, but held up his gun. Using on Radar, he fired off Viper in hopes of at least distracting the Shooter.

Or at least that's how it should have been.

"!?"

Kuruma was quickly tackled to the ground by Murakami as a laser-like beam shot through the building and right over Kuruma and Murakami. Two more beams went over them.

The three beams started to move down, making the two quickly get up and move away. That itself was a bit difficult with the three beams covering their right and left, while also moving fast enough to keep up with them.

"That was completely my bad... I had forgotten about Senpai and her Side Effect."

The two from Kuruma Squad started to run to escape the laser-like beam.

Once they got to a certain area that they thought was safe, they looked around.

That seemed to also be a bad move.

Something hit the ground near their feet, causing them to look in the direction. They easily figured out with was a sniper shot, meaning that it was Suzume.

"So Takeshi is at the west, Suzume is at the east... That leaves Hoshi and Toby..."

Murakami and Kuruma continued to dodge the shots and headed more south.

"So who is north and who is south?"

The answer soon came.

* * *

"This fog is a nice tactic against Toby and the others, but no way is it gonna work."

Inukai carefully moved through the streets, gun ready to fire. He was much more cautious since he knew just how one of the squads would deal with the low visibility. It was obvious and he already knew that Tsuji and Ninomiya figured it out as well.

 _"Be careful."_

Inukai heard his captain's voice as he looked around.

 _"It seems Kotowari Squad is taking four parts. Kotowari is in the west while Misaki is east."_

"So that means Toby is either South or North while Hoshi-chan is the last one."

 _"Yes. I will deal with Kotowari. Inukai, you and Tsuji head either north or south to find out who is there. I will let you decide if you should fight them. If not, go to Misaki and take her out."_

"Gotcha! Tsuji, we'll head north. The middle seems to be where they put themselves, so we'll come from both side and attack."

 _"Understood."_

Inukai seemed to get more excited. He knew that Hoshi was related to both Mukuro and Yuki, so he wouldn't mind having to fighting her. But he was also fine with going against Toby. He figured that if Tsuji was with him he wouldn't have to worry about getting points.

He had fought Toby multiple times already, so he knew exactly how to get around the brunet's Side Effect. Tsuji's help would be needed, but that was more than okay with Inukai.

* * *

"So that's how it is..."

"Urg. Why do we have to watch this?"

Wakamura's eye twitched a bit as he sat next to Miura. The other boy wasn't the reason for his twitching eye, that honor went to his captain.

He had told his squad that he would be going to see this match, and that he would see them later, but Katori seemed to have followed him. Miura had also tagged along, but was more open about the whole thing, meaning he wasn't complaining about his decision.

Katori had stopped complaining at some point and decided to try and annoy Wakamura by saying the only reason he wanted to see the fight was because "That little girl is gonna be there and you can't get over that kiss".

He had readily denied that he wanted to see Hoshi.

No one believed him.

Now here they were, watching the pitch-black match that was surrounded by deep fog.

"What's the point of having the four corners if that little girl will Bail Out right away in a fight with any of them?"

The two boys ignored their captain and continued to watch.

"I am wondering why they decided on this kind of strategy though," Miura said.

Wakamura just stayed quiet with his arms crossed. He knew there was more to this strategy than just that, but he couldn't figure it out at all. He had been wracking his brain over it, but nothing seemed to click with him.

"... It's a trap..."

The three from the same squad jumped in their seat while letting out small sounds. They all quickly turned to see Shobu sitting in the row behind them with his face halfway above the chair in front of him.

"Wh-when the hell did you get there?"

"... You three sat in front of me...so I couldn't see the screen... I moved to this seat..."

The three looked at each other, each wondering if the others had even noticed the boy sitting there when they got in.

Wakamura, being the first one to get out of his shock, fixed his glasses and turned to Shobu once more.

"So... What do you mean by 'it's a trap'? What kind of trap?"

"... ... ... ... ..."

"Hey, kid."

"... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ..."

Katori and Wakamura seemed to get unnerved by the silence.

Miura on the other hand seemed fine.

"Well, I guess we'll just have to see, right?"

"(Yeah!)"

"We'll see, we'll see, we'll see!"

"Just watch how awesome my big bro is!"

Three little kids seemed to pop out of nowhere once again. This time it was a brown haired boy, a heterochromatic-eyed girl and a girl who resembled a certain Sniper in the current match.

All three members of Katori squad couldn't help but wonder, "Where the hell do these kids come from...?"

* * *

" _Taichi, we'll take out Misaki."_

 _"Roger!"_

Murakami heard his captain give the command as he headed south.

He had figured that was where his "target" was, so he offered to go alone. He really didn't want to leave his captain when they were facing people like Suzume and Takeshi, with the help of Mei, but he felt that he owed this much. Kuruma had seemed fine with it, but Murakami would make up for this by winning a point.

"..."

He moved to the side as multiple shots went by. They seemed to be Viper, but not accurate.

'That's to be expected. Even with Radar, and Senpai's Side Effect, it's still too difficult to get a 100% hit in such low visibility...'

Murakami knew that it was pointless to go in the direction the shots came from, and so just followed the moving dot on his Radar. That was best bet at the moment, so he went along with it.

As he ran, he noticed something.

"!"

He jumped to the side as an explosion went off. He had to also dodge the debris coming from the building as more shots were fired at him.

He glanced around before moving between two buildings.

'Viper, Meteora, Kōgetsu. Those are the ones I'm sure she has on her. Going off of everything I know, she has her own Fujin as well. The issue is how am I going to get her to come out?'

This truly was an issue for someone like Murakami, who had no long-range Triggers to speak of. He was starting to see the real issue with such low visibility. He couldn't even see too far in front of himself, meaning he could only go off of what he could see with Radar.

He had been so focused on what he had told Yuki that he had forgotten about Mei and her Side Effect. That was a big mistake on its own since Mei's Side Effect's calculations could alter some of Jin's Foresight futures.

The more he thought about it the more he came to realize something.

He himself had a Side Effect, so he knew there was something each Side Effect had in common.

'Wait a minute... Even Senpai's Side Effect has a weakness...'

Murakami nodded to himself as he messed a bit with his Bagworm.

'She needs information to work with.'

* * *

Ninomiya carefully made his way through the buildings. He figured this was a trap since only Suzume seemed to be using Bagworm, and so moved more slow than he normally would.

He was someone who was well informed with Mei's Side Effect, so he didn't plan on making anything that resembled a careless move. Takeshi's Laser Shooter could easily go through a building, but the special Shooter wouldn't take the chance of destroying all the buildings to just get to Ninomiya.

He knew that he himself wouldn't be able to do much with the low visibility, but he did know that Takeshi wouldn't be taking any risks on this as well.

Before the start if the match he had wondered if he was focusing too much on Kotowari Squad, but then he remembered who they were associated with.

 _"Ninomiya-san, don't you think taking care of Suzunari-1 is also something to go over?"_

 _Ninomiya looked over at Tsuji as they discussed their strategy._

 _"I'm actually fine with this," Inukai said causally. "Think about it, knowing how well Yuki, Murakami and Hoshi-chan knowing each other, we can probably assume that Murakami will take Hoshi-chan out, but then get taken out by Takeshi from a sneak attack."_

 _"Exactly. Misaki will be going after Suzunari's Sniper, while Awdry will be after Kuruma, me or Inukai. It may give them a few points, but if we get the timing right, we could take out Kotowari Squad, or even some of Suzunari-1."_

 _"Mei is training Suzume-chan, Yuki is training Takeshi, Hoshi is probably getting some help from Kushikage-san, and Toby's being trained by bother Minoru_ and _Mukuro, who is someone who managed to beat Minoru."_

 _"Saying that they are difficult has now become an understatement. Although... Having countermeasure against Suzunari is also something we should think about."_

Ninomiya didn't go after Takeshi because he was under Yuki's tutelage (or so he says), but rather because he figured that he was the one best suited for the task.

* * *

Hoshi moved quickly and with almost no caution.

She continued to listen to the squad Operator as her Kōgetsu hung at her side like a gunslinger.

Contrary to what everyone thought, she was ready to fight Murakami. She didn't think much about it and saw it as another fight to help her squad. He went against Katori Squad and even practiced with Kushikage, so she found this to be nothing really of importance, at least to her personally.

Pushing her personal feeling to the side and seeing everyone else as an opponent was proof of her being part of the family of Japan's best soldiers.

'I _will_ win us a point here.'

As she ran, a cube of Trion appeared next to her. It split up before flying through the air where Mei had told her to fire.

 _"Just like I thought. He's coming up for a close-range fight. Get ready, Hoshi."_

Doing as she was told, Hoshi put her hand on the hilt of her Kōgetsu as she stopped.

She looked forward and, under the dim light from the streetlight, could see something rushing at her. The attacker himself charged toward Hoshi with tremendous speed.

Murakami's capacity was well above Hoshi's. That being said...

Since it really was Murakami, there was not a gap between their strengths for Hoshi to defeat him in a single strike.

"!"

Just as Hoshi drew her sword, a heavy push was felt on the blade. It was due to the blow from Murakami's blade that approached silently at a high speed.

'Here he is!'

Hoshi pressed her sword as far forward as she could and looked at Murakami's sword. It was obvious what kind of blade he was using.

Murakami moved his arms. The movement was to pull his blade back. He did this to create a gap of a few centimeters between the two blades and then being swung in a curving arc toward Hoshi once it was free.

It was not simply being swung down with no real thought being put into it. It was a refined attack.

The strike was fast, sharp, and heavy enough to be referred to in that way. Hoshi just barely managed to catch it on her own sword. Even knowing how skilled Murakami was she barely manged that block. Immediately after Hoshi realized that fact, Murakami began sending blow after blow with with blade.

The exchange caused showed Hoshi just how much stronger the other was.

Not only that, but he was not just fast. He was not just raining blows down. Each attack was thought out and tried to slip through Hoshi's defenses and the blows against her blade held a winning intent that wore on one's mind. Hoshi's eyes grew sharp as she felt that intent and swung her blade repeatedly at the same speed.

Murakami did not just force his way through using his power. He could only produce such blows because he had decided he would win and had trained and trained to bring himself to this point.

Hoshi was known as "the sibling with a princess-like vibe" to others, but only a few actually knew she could probably surpass her older sister at some point, regardless of if it was in a Trion body or a real one. She had no Side Effect or multiple years of combat training, but she was a fast learner and could always adapt. Even if the middle of a battle, she could learn quickly.

Hoshi put even more force and speed into her blade.

But Murakami was able to keep up.

Then something changed.

As they clashed something felt off.

Murakami looked down at the clashing blades.

He jumped back seeming to have realized something.

Murakami looked down at his own blade.

The blade had chipped in places. Like a poor-quality comb, it had thin, irregularly spaced gaps a few centimeters deep running along it. During their exchange of blows, Hoshi's own blade had eaten into his.

When it came to a fight of equals, or even those who were weaker, who used the same weapon, the best bet one could hope for was that they would have more Trion to destroy their opponent's weapon. That was the case for this fight between the #4 Attacker and the girl who have off a princess-like vibe.

There was no major visible change, but the intent he had been sending straight forward receded. He had changed to a defensive stance or perhaps one for retreat. He may have been thinking of leaving and coming up with a different plan. Murakami had completely switched out his strategy.

Hoshi lowered her hips slightly and focused on Kōgetsu. She had been on the bottom in the exchange of blows with the same weapon. That didn't mean she was close to done though.

Murakami brought up his Raygust to block the Senku that was now headed for him. It worked well enough with only a small scratch appearing on the shield.

Using Thruster, Murakami sped forward with his blade ready.

Hoshi tried to react, but wasn't fast enough. She ended up losing an arm due to this.

Murakami turned his body around to try and get another attack in.

Hoshi way able to the dodge the follow up attack, and move back into the heavy fog.

She moved around a building and fired off Viper before running behind another building.

Murakami chose to dodge the Viper.

He quickly brought up Raygust up to block the strike from Hoshi and managed to push her back.

He rushed towards her with his own Kōgetsu ready to take off her head for a quick finish.

Hoshi seemed ready for this as she fired off Meteora. But she fired it off to the side instead of at her opponent. The shot hit a nearby light pole, making it start to fall.

The two jumped back.

Murakami could tell just how much better Hoshi had gotten. They hadn't fought before, but he had watched her fight before. She wasn't anywhere near her siblings' level, but she was proving that she did belong with the high B-Ranks.

* * *

[ **Ah. That doesn't look good.** ]

[ _With Hime missing an arm, she won't be able to properly block all of the attacks. She can continue with the long-range attacks, but..._ ]

[ **Sigh. There won't be a point in they can't reach their target. Murakami will be more alert to them now too, so trying to hit him will be more problematic.** ]

"Gah! Why did she have to go and lose an arm!? I've told her tons of times to make sure to keep all limbs in tact when fighting!"

Yuki let out a sigh.

Mukuro looked up at his older brother with a raised eyebrow.

"Is something wrong?"

"Nah. It's just that it's difficult to really tell what's going on with such low visibility. Not only that, the rest if them haven't been having much action. I know all three squads well enough, so I'm just curious as to why nothing has really happened yet."

This got Kushikage's attention.

Both the older sister and younger brother looked at Yuki with curious looks.

Die to multiple reasons, Yuki had been disowned from the family. One of those reasons was because of his view of fightings and violence. The two found it odd that he, the one who held different views on such subjects, would be saying he was getting bored with no fights.

In the current situation they could understand, but it still seemed odd. He had said it with genuine boredom, not for the sake of the people he knew in the match.

Yuki noticed the looks and returned them with a dull one.

"What? You two want to start something here?"

"No. We're fine."

* * *

Hoshi waited.

The only light in the pitch black building was the white glow of the different colored Kōgetsu in her hand.

She stood in the middle of the room that looked like an empty underground parking lot with multiple columns around. One side had only two doors and a blank whole while the other had multiple windows lining the side.

Whether Hoshi herself had emptied the room out or it was like that beforehand was anyone's guess.

One would automatically go to hide for a sneak attack, but that seem rather pointless with the white glow of her different colored Kōgetsu.

'This is too high up for him to come in through the windows. His only options are one if the two doors there.'

Hoshi tightened her grip on her blade as she waited.

The wait wasn't long, Murakami came walking through one of the doors.

He waisted no time in attacking.

Hoshi raised her sword up.

Murakami, expecting Hoshi to block, was rather surpsied. Once his attack got close to Hoshi, she changed her stance and moved her Kōgetsu at the same time his got closer. She used her own Kōgetsu to redirect his so that it would end up hitting the ground.

Hoshi followed up by moving to the side and trying to land a kick, presumably to send him out of the window.

Murakami brought up his Raygust to block the kick.

Hoshi jumped back as Murakami quickly moved his Kōgetsu towards her neck.

Murakami moved more carefully, rushing her so stop an attack from her.

Hoshi threw her Kōgetsu forward, missing her target.

She got ready for the attack from Murakami by pulling off her jacket and tossing it in front of him, blinding him. She turned to her blade, using Teleport to get to it before grabbing it, and turning around with a mutter of "Senku."

The extended slash moved towards its target, cutting a few of the columns in the process.

Murakami, having faced an opponent who used such tactics multiple times, didn't even try to get free from the jacket and simply brought up Raygust to defend against the extended slash.

He pulled the jacket off.

"..."

Hoshi started to run to the side, Murakami mimicking the move.

Once they were both in the middle of the room, Hoshi held up her Kōgetsu in front if her.

"Fujin."

Once she muttered those words, it happened.

The whole blade of Kōgetsu started to split apart like the bud of a flower finally blooming. White ribbons of light unfolded from the disappearing blade until all that was left was the black hilt and white ribbons waving around.

There was something else that was different about this though.

"20 ribbons..."

Murakami changed his stance to a more defensive one.

"Useless."

Murakami went a little wide eyed and jumped back.

In one quick motion, Hoshi moved her arm and the hilt of the former blade.

Five ribbons moved differently from the other fifteen.

Two had cut the columns on both sides of Hoshi while the other three cut through Raygust with ease.

'So she finally finished it. Senpai most likely helped her out with this.'

Hoshi took a single step forward.

Then she disappeared.

Murakami continued to be surpsied by the girl with the princess-like vibe who he considered a younger sister. He didn't think that she would be able to use Teleport in the dark area, even with his own Kōgetsu giving some light.

Her turned around just as she appeared. He moved back, but still lost an arm. He saw the arm fall and noticed what looked like a "1" on the falling arm.

He figured it out.

She had the Special Teleport Yuki recently started using in one of her slots.

Hoshi raised her ribbon-blade into the air, only having fourteen ribbons now. She made a slashing motion in the air, and the ribbons reacted to this.

Four of the ribbons moved the air with elegance. Once each one touched one of the columns in the empty room they were cut though easily.

 **RMBL**

'What was that...?'

Murakami looked around the room. Even with low visibility, he could see it. _He could see what she had done._

Pieces of the ceiling started falling down around the two as the rumbling sound contined to grow. The columns had been cut, so that meant that everything above the two had noting supporting it.

It would fall to the ground.

Hoshi rushed forward.

Murakami brought up his Kōgetsu.

Instead of using the ribbon-blades in her hand, Hoshi lowered her body and pushed both of them out of the window, sending them falling to the ground.

Murakami got his balance and tried to take off Hoshi's head to end the fight.

"!?"

Just as the arm came down towards her, Hoshi reached out with her head and bit into Murakami's arm, stopping him from cutting her head off.

The two landed to the ground just as the building did. Dust flew into the air, but seemed like a small matter with the fog still around.

Neither Murakami or Hoshi had Bailed Out yet, but that would soon change.

Murakami stood up and grabbed his Kōgetsu from the ground. He walked over to Hoshi, who was laying on the ground, and raised his blade.

Hoshi looked up at him.

Without hesitation, Murakami brought Kōgetsu down.

 **Trion limit exceeded. Bail Out.**

 **Trion limit exceeded. Bail Out.**

* * *

[That was... Ahem! A double Bail Out! It seems Agent Murakami had taken out Agent Taiyōko after that fierce battle. That's not all though as the, apparently, finished Normal Trigger Fujin Agent Taiyōko had activated had not fallen to the ground yet and ended up taking out Agent Murakami.]

[ **Sigh.** ** _They_** **will be complaining about this turnout, but it's not like anyone's gonna listen... Regardless, Taiyōko did well in this fight. She proved most of us wrong and seemed to fight with everything she had.** ]

[ _It was plain to see she did take some of her fighting style here from her siblings. That being said, even if it want refined, she did manage to score a point for her squad. I'm sure that motivated the other three to really step up their game now. That's not to say the other two squads won't be doing the same._ ]

[ **Sigh. Suzunari especially. They just lost their ace.** ]

While at the same time.

"... ... ... ..."

"Stop sulking. Just be happy your girlfriend got a point."

Wakamura ignored his captain and just contined to watch the match. Although, he did have a smile on his face, that he may or may not have been aware of.

"... Hoshi-san did well... I'm glad..."

Shobu had his own small smile.

He wasn't particularly close to Hoshi, but they got along quite well when they did interact with each other. He also saw her as a member of the Yagura Branch, regardless of if she wasn't one anymore.

Noticing some movement behind him, Shobu looked back to see Mitsubachi staring at the screen with a starry-eyed expression while Michelle and Toby seemed to be talking to each other.

"Uwaaaaaaah~ So pretty~ So pretty~ So pretty~"

"(It went 'Swoosh swoosh swoosh'!)"

"(No! It went 'Woosh woosh woosh'!)"

* * *

Murakami landed on the mat after Bail Out and made his way over to Kon and the desk.

He had a smile on his face, even after having to Bail Out.

"Sorry, Kuruma-san. Hoshi got me to Bail Out, so it's just you and Taichi."

 _"Alright. We had planned for that."_

Murakami felt oddly happy at hearing that. The fact the whole squad had already planned in advance for Murakami to Bail Out due to Hoshi gave him a sort of happy feeling.

Although he knew that her two oldest siblings would bug him once this was all done.

It was worth it to him.

* * *

"Good job out there, Hoshi."

"..."

Hoshi walked over to Mei with her own smile.

She felt she had accomplished something. Not only did she win a point for her squad, but she also managed to get that point by getting Murakami, someone she thought of as an older brother, to Bail Out.

He was the #4 Attacker, she had been able to make him Bail Out. She knew that she only managed that due to the odd battleground, and that she would lose in any regular one-on-one match, but that didn't stop the warm feeling from appearing.

She did feel a bit bad for not being able to do any more than that, but she knew that the rest of the squad was fine with it.

"Hey, you three better not lose. You wouldn't want to disappoint our princess, right?"

* * *

QOTC: How much did you dislike this chapter?


	45. Kotowari Squad: Part 7

**Warning:** This chapter was made by a half-asleep idiot. You have been warned.

* * *

 **Chapter 45:** Kotowari Squad: Part 7

* * *

Suzume grinned once she found out that Hoshi had managed to take out Murakami.

She turned around and fired off Asteroid from her gun. She saw a figure move to the side, and moved closer to it, ready to bring out a Scorpion blade.

She had been told that the ones going for her were Taichi and Kuruma, so she knew exactly what to be ready for.

Both sides weren't able to see due to the fog and darkness, and with Bagworm on Radar was rather useles. The fights have already been set, but they would be slower than everyone was use to.

'I could honestly follow Hoshi-chan's lead and go into one of these buildings, but... These two would be more careful about doing that after what happened with Murakami-senpai.'

 _"Suzume, I have a suggestion."_

Suzume hid behind a building as Mei spoke to her and explained her plan. She would go along with it regardless of what she was told. She trusted everyone in the squad, so she would have no doubt if Mei told her to do something.

Once she finished hearing the plan she went into action. For most it may have seemd like a minor action, but it was actually a decisive action in the current match.

'Let's see if this honestly works...'

Suzume deactivated her Bagworm and waited.

It was a plan that was obvious to anyone who saw it. Get rid of Bagworm and wait for the shots to be fired. Something so simple that just hearing a few words of the plan would give it away. But that simple plan could also be a trick.

Suzume started to move again. She ran in one direction, a direction Mei hadn't calculated Taichi and Kuruma would be. As she rank she pulled out her gun and started firing Asteroid at different buildings. They buildings started to fall after a few hits and smash into the ground.

As they hit the ground they caused dust to go into the air, but they also crated small amounts of wind that were able to slightly move the fog. One particular building was large and quite a few stories tall. Once that one fell it the ground the fog started to move away from where Suzume was, giving an almost open shot at her.

"..."

Suzume waited a few seconds.

 _"From the right."_

As her Operator had calculated, a short came from her right. She moved to the side and let the shot hit the ground. She brought up a Shield behind her as a barrage of shots came from there.

She brought out her Lightning and fired at the direction the first shot had come from. After that she turned around and fired again as the gunfire stopped.

 _"Nice shot."_

Suzume grinned once she heard that. She started making her way to where the single shot had come from.

* * *

[It seems Agent Misaki has chosen Agent Betsuyaku as her target for this fight. With distant not being an issue for her, when it comes to attacking, it looks like it will take both Captain Kuruma and Agent Betsuyaku to take her out.]

[ _Not sure even that will be enough. She may not be able to see them, but she does have their Rhythm's memorized, right? So if she at least know where they are she can deal with them._ ]

[ **Sigh... There's also the 'border' Kotowari Squad as set up. While the general area in the south is empty due to Murakami taking out Taiyōko, if Kuruma or Taichi move to close to either the north or west they will end up within either Kotowari or Awdry's range.** ]

"Go, Suzu!"

Satori had a grin on his face as he cheered for his friend from his seat. Next to him sat Narasaka, who had Arafune next to him. Behind the three sat Kodera and the two other Snipers from Arafune Squad.

Hokari and Hanzaki weren't too sure why they were there, but they just watched the screen with interest.

Kodera on the other hand looked a bit nervous. He could feel some tense in the air around Narasaka for some reason. He could tell Satori wasn't effected by it at all, but Arafune seems to notice it as well.

Something had been brought up in Kodera's mind just before the match began, and continued to bug him to this very moment.

'Why are all of us sitting together like groupies...?'

He never got his answer.

He decided it would be best for him to just focus on the screen again. What he saw amazed him a bit.

* * *

Green lights filled the darkness and cut right through the fog. The light was coming off of the laser-like beams that cut through the buildings around it. These laser-like beams were coming of the the green orbs that lingered around Takeshi's body.

 _"Hound will come from the right, but he is moving left."_

Two of the orbs on Takeshi's right moved closer to him before firing two laser-like beams each. Multiple green projectiles headed for Takeshi, but were all taken out by the four laser-like beams coming from the orbs.

Another two orbs moved closer to his right side before firing a laser-like beam each. They both shot through a building and started moving, one moving horizontally while the other moved vertically.

The last orb that was by Takeshi's head seemed to fly off somewhere else, as if it had a mind of its own.

Once the laser-like beams stopped firing, Takeshi started to run to the side, making sure he wouldn't be attacked.

It had been decided that Ninomiya would be his opponent. That was understandable since the two were the best long-range fighters in the current match. They knew how each other fought and how to counter each other.

They also knew that Takeshi had lost multiple times to Ninomiya.

Takeshi continued to run as he put his hand to his ear.

"Toby, have Tsuji-senpai and Inukai-senpai gotten to you yet?"

 _"Yup! Fightin' then right now! I haven't used_ that _yet, so I'm stickin' to the plan!"_

"Good. Keep them busy and make sure that you keep a safe distance. For this to work we both have to make sure not to take major hits."

 _"(Roger, roger!)"_

Takeshi let out a small sigh as he contined to run.

He was going to follow through so the plan they decided on. He would make sure to win this time and make sure it didn't end up like the last time they were facing this particular squad. He would leave the two from Kuruma Squad to Suzume and get points from Ninomiya Squad.

As he contined to run he noticed something above him. He immediately stopped in his tracks as the four green orbs moved above him. He moved his arm horizontally in the air and gave the command.

Each orbs fired one laser-like beam. Another beam branched off of each one. Two more branched off of the original and first branch. Three more branched off of each one. This continued on until a root-like attack came from the orbs and clashed with the rain of Hound that came from the sky.

Takeshi continued to focus on the ones in the air that he didn't notice some more coming from the side.

"!"

He moved to the side, but still manged to take a hit from one of the shots. He looked at the Trion leaking from his side and used his hand to cover it up.

One the orbs had stopped firing, he started running again.

* * *

Toby grinned as he easily dodged a strike from Tsuji. He twisted his body and used his elbow to counter, while also using his other arm to attack.

Tsuji moved to the side while block one of the attacks. He jumped back a moment later just as Inukai came up and started shooting.

The three were in one if the few open area of the battlefield. They hadn't originally started there, but they had moved it to that area while dealing with the fog.

The fog didn't help Tsuji or Inukai, but it had almost no effect on Toby. His Side Effect was enhanced reflexes, so it didn't matter if he could see his opponent or not, his body would move in its own and protect him from taking damage. It seemed to work well enough since he had yet to be hit, and had managed to get a scratch on Tsuji.

 _"Alright, Toby, that's a good place to stop. Just wait for Takeshi. You are free to fight as you like. If you can take them out then do so."_

Toby's grin seemed to grow at hearing this. He had actually been having quite a good amount of fun so far, so hearing this made him more excited. So excited that he had to hold back from laughing and looking like a lunatic.

His body reacted on its own once again and manged to dodge a slash from Tsuji. He turned his body around to deliver a kick, but missed. This didn't seem to matter to him as he jumped back into the fog and disappear from sight.

Tsuji moved towards Inukai until they were back-to-back. They looked around and got ready for an attack. They seemed to get more unnerved when no attack came.

"Where is he? He isn't the type to wait out a fight."

"Is he waiting for Kotowari to come in and try to attack us."

"No. He would still put up a fight. There's absolutely no way he would just sit back and wait for someone else to take his kill."

 _"He's coming from the right of Tsuji."_

The two turned their heads, but didn't see anything. They were about to question their Operator when...

"!?"

They both went wide eyed when they saw Trion leaking from Tsuji's left side. They both turned their heads, but saw nothing.

"He's using Chameleon!?"

"This is bad. We can't see him with the fog, and with Chameleon there is no way for us to properly prepare for a strike. He came from my right but attacked my left side."

"Well, it _does_ make things more interesting now. Tsuji, follow my lead."

Inukai lifted his gun and started firing. He continued to fire as he and Tsuji circled around. They weren't able to see Toby, and his Side Effect was already a problem, but with the help of Hiyami they could at least narrow down his paths of attacking.

Tsuji got his Kōgetsu ready to strike or defend at any moment.

"Come out, come out, Toby~"

 _"He's circling around and going for you."_

"Perfect!"

 _"Wait... He's-"_

"Crap!"

Inukai and Tsuji moved away from each other as Toby suddenly appeared next to Inukai, taking his arm off in the process. They both attacked with Inukai firing his gun while Tsuji used Senku. This didn't do anything though as Toby weaved through the attacks.

He ran at Tsuji, who at the time was getting ready to defend, but vanished from sight before reaching him.

Tsuji figured that it was another attack from Scorpion, but was shocked when he was shot through his foot, arm and shoulder from above.

"Viper too!?"

Toby appeared on front of him with two blades in hand. He lunged forward to attack and was met with a one-handed block from Kōgetsu. He moved to the side as Tsuji jumped back, gunshots passing by where the two had been.

 _'Tsuji, get ready to use Senku.'_

Facing the direction Inukai was at, Tsuji lowered his hips and lifted his Kōgetsu.

Inukai started firing in the direction Toby was supposedly at. He moved his body on a half-circle to cover a wide area.

Tsuji confused on Inukai and waited for the right moment. That moment came when Toby suddenly appeared behind Inukai, two blades in hand. Tsuji moved his arm, and blade, in the direction, making sure he wouldn't hit Inukai.

He knew that Toby's Side Effect would kick in and keep him from getting cut, so he added on some pressure by repeatedly using Senku so that even if Toby moved up, down, right, or left he would get hit.

It worked too, Toby moved it the side, but his eyes seemed to get cut from one of the Senku.

"Nicely done."

* * *

[It's amazing that Agent Awdry is able to push both Agent Tsuji and Agent Inukai this far just by himself.]

[ **Sigh. That's to be expected. He's been training under Minoru here and one of the Taiyōko siblings. Sigh... Regardless of that, he's fought Inukai multiple times,** ** _and_** **he has his Side Effect 'on' completely.** ]

[ _Those two were right to put pressure on Fuzzy head. His Side Effect is good, but if enough attacks come at him, or if they're too quick, he can't move in time._ ]

[I see. So every Side Effect _does_ have a weakness.]

[ **Sigh... Yeah. Some** ** _seem_** **op, but each one does have a counter. Even ones like Jin's and mine have their limits.** ]

"(Ah! Big bro got cut! Come on, come on! Big bro!)"

The three kids that were sitting by Shobu didn't make noise loud enough for others to hear, it was more like whisper-yelling, but the squad in front of them could hear it. Wakamura and Miura didn't seem bothered by it, but Katori was a different story.

"Hey, kid, could you be quiet?"

"He doesn't know Japanese. There's no point in getting angry at him."

"Yes, I do. And I'm sorry for annoying you. Although... Excuse me, but what do _you_ think of big bro?"

Shobu discreetly moved his eyes from the screen to Katori and Stepney. He had been fine with the cheering and rather enjoyed seeing Stepney and Michelle looking excited by the fight. He did have to wonder if they saw it like a movie instead of a test for the squads.

Katori glanced back at Stepney with an annoyed look.

"He's fine. He has talent, so he'll at least make it somewhere."

"How many times do I have to-"

"Oh," Stepney interupted, "so are you his girlfriend or something?"

Shobu raised an eyebrow at hearing this. He could see from the corner of his eye that Katori started coughing while Wakamura held his hand to his mouth, most likely to hide his laughter.

'... I can see the resemblance between him and Awdry-san...'

* * *

Futoyuki happily ate hotdog as he headed for the Yagura Branch's main entrance. He had decided to follow Arisa's advice and go to the main Border base, if only to see what it was like. He had heard that a special enlistment day was today and figured he would see what that looked like.

He himself had been let in under very special circumstances. Both he and his new teammate had been involved with certain incidents that had recently happened, but allowed in due to their new branch director doing some special things.

Now here he was, the (official) captain of a B-Rank squad "that had been let into Border in a different country". Neither he nor Arisa were the actual squad captains, but he was appointed official captain so there wouldn not be many problems.

As he passed by the main area he saw Akasora and Pyrínas looking at the TV and seemed to be one of B-Rank matches he had heard about. He had been told by Mukuro and Shobu that they would be at the base to watch it. He hadn't seen Kazekiri or Kirisame anywhere, so he only guessed that they were either with Shobu or looking for him.

Deciding to take a look, Futoyuki walked up to the two while taking a bite of his hotdog.

"Which squads are those?"

Akasora turned his head to see Futoyuki standing there. He turned his head back to the TV a moment later.

"Ninomiya Squad, Kotowari Squad and Suzunari Branch's Kuruma Squad. Ninomiya Squad is the #1 B-Rank squad, Kotowari Squad is the one that is planning on joining our branch when they become A-Rank, and Kuruma Squad is the one Yuki sometimes goes to see."

"Ah~ So they're all strong~ You think they'd wanna go a few rounds with me?"

"... You can ask them when you go to the base."

"Huh!?"

"It's obvious you were headed there. Don't try and fool us. Regardless, none of us care if you do go. We just gave a warning that it might get awkward for some agents."

Futoyuki shrugged as he finished up his hotdog. He turned towards the door and made his way over. He gave a small wave as he left.

Akasora and Pyrínas looked at each other before looking back at the TV.

* * *

At the same time Toby's fight was going on, Suzume was having trouble with her own fight.

It was hard enough to do much in the fog, but she continued to get attacked by Kuruma and Taichi while trying to catch even one of them. She could tell that she was hitting them at times, but really couldn't get anywhere compared to them.

She had made sure to cover up any parts that were leaking Trion, but she couldn't take many big hits.

'Damn! I'm still not to use to using this gun. Tōru might honestly harass me if I start using Lightning at this point though.'

Suzume let out a sigh as she moved to the right to dodge a shot. The shot wouldn't have hit her to begin with, but she didn't want to take any chances.

She may have become and All-Rounder, but that didn't mean she was use to fighting like that. She was use to her Twin-Stinger style of fighting, adding a gun with Asteroid wasn't something she was use to yet.

She wanted to bring out her Ibis, but she knew how Narasaka would react and didn't want to deal with it. She also has the urge to show off since she knew two particular people would be watching. She didn't thin about it much, but it was still there, in the back of her mind.

'I need to honestly focus! Alright... Taking out Taichi-kun is what I'm...aiming...for...'

Suzume finally noticed something.

She looked around the area and noticed destroyed buildings. That wouldn't have meant much to her, but the way they were destroyed was what caught her attention.

 _They looked like they were destroyed with some sort of laser beam._

That's when she figured out that they were drawing closer to the open area where Takeshi was going to meet Toby, and where Toby was in a fight with two Ninomiya Squad members.

'I need to-'

"!?"

Suzume went wide eyed as multiple holes were made through her body, Trion leaking from each one. She turned around and raised her gun.

"! ! !"

Her arm was shot off from a single shot, leaving her with only one arm.

She quickly pulled out her Lightning and fired in the direction the single shot had come from. She turned back around and shot in direction the multiple shots came from, while also dodging the new shots.

Suzume was about to ask Mei for help on what to do, but stopped herself before she did. She wanted to become an A-Rank, yet continued to ask others on what to do during a fight she said she would take care of. She felt like a small child asking her mother for something simple she could figure out herself if she thought about it for more than five seconds.

She wanted to show those two certain people she knew was watching a strong and skilled side of her, yet she wanted to ask for help in something she could figure out. She felt like she would tear apart her own pride if she did that now.

She made a decision.

She brought up her Lightning and let out a breath.

She repeatedly fired in multiple directions.

Suzume continued to move to different areas spots so that she wouldn't be hit by any shots herself. She moved on light feet with her feet only being on the ground for a split second before they were on the air, moving her away.

She couldn't see her opponents, so she couldn't get a clear hit, but she wanted to make sure to lure them into a trap so that she wouldn't go down by herself.

Her shooting had stopped both Kuruma and Taichi from making any shots since they also had to be on defense. They had both kept on their Bagworm while having their guns out, so they decided on simply dodging. Not that a Shield would do much against Suzume's Lightning.

Suzume looked around and waited.

"Takeshi, where are you?"

 _"I'm close to where you are. Sorry you have to take this hit..."_

"It's fine. Just make sure to get some points back for me."

 _"Understood."_

Suzume smiled as she stopped in her tracks. She continued to fire, but more randomly than before. She was fine with turning into bait since she knew that this time was much different than their first match.

She carefully looked around, even if she couldn't see, and waited for the right moment.

That moment soon came.

She lifted her Lightning just as a barrage of shots headed for her from her right. A large shot also headed for her, but from the left. She fired at the multiple gun shots.

She didn't block or dodge any of the shots and ended up with even more holes, as well as getting a large part of her body blown away. Cracks started to form all along her body as she started to fall.

 **Trion limit exceeded. Bail Out.**

* * *

"Kuruma-san, we got her!"

Taichi let out a relieved sigh.

He wasn't sure how long he would have been able to outrun Suzume, so he was rather glad to have taken her out. He gave the credit to Kuruma though since his captain was the one who was putting the pressure on Suzume.

He switched out his Ibis as he moved to meet back up with his captain.

Just as he was about to reach him...

 **Trion limit exceeded**

Taichi was shocked when he was shot full of holes. He hadn't seen them coming and hadn't been told about them, so he didn't even have time to put up a Shield.

 **Bail Out**

* * *

[Two Bail Outs in a row, again. This time Agent Betsuyaku took out Agent Misaki, them proceeded to be taken out by Captain Ninomiya.]

[ **That's true, but also wrong. Taichi** ** _did_** **take out Misaki, but that was because she was used as bait. Sigh. This time it seems she was willing bait, unlike when my squad fought against them.** ]

[ _Kotowari Squad probably noticed that they were getting closer to each other, and that Suzu-chan was running low on Trion. I'm sure they planned to have her get taken out then take out whichever one had taken her out. Taka probably noticed it as well, so he's the one who took the shot and got the point from Suzunari-1._ ]

Kodera really started to worry at this point. He was sitting behind Satori, Hanzaki being next to him and Hokari being next to Hanzaki, so he could see how both Satori and Narasaka would react to the match. What he saw was Satori looking a hit down while the tense air around Narasaka seemed to grow a bit.

Arafune Squad noticed the change in the two A-Rank Snipers as well, so they all thought about moving seats. They stayed in their seats though, and tried not to be noticed by Narasaka.

"Maaaaaaaan~~ Suzu's out..."

Satori slumped in his seat with a sigh. It was like any and all energy he had for the match disappeared in an instant. He seemed more like a person who was dragged over to watch the match.

From his spot, Kodera could see Arafune give a small nod while his eyes looked at the two to his right. The Megane Sniper wondered what that was about, but kept to himself.

* * *

"... ... Sorry, Senpai..."

 _"It's fine. Just take them out and we'll call it even."_

Takeshi nodded to himself as he ran towards Toby and his fight.

 _"Hey, Take. Ya mind if I switch back? Using Viper and Chameleon is givin' me a weird feeling. Feels like I'm a copycat or somthin'."_

"Yeah. You're free to go about your fight any way you want."

Takeshi knew that Toby, unlike their previous captain, hated seeming like a copycat. He was an honest person who wanted his own style, and respected everyone else's. He himself didn't like making the Attacker switch just for some points, but they had told Kushikage that they would at least it out.

Takeshi let out a small sigh as he continued to run.

He knew at this point Ninomiya was just following him, not actually trying to attack him. The reason was an obvious one that anyone would figure out.

'He doesn't want to use Trion if he doesn't have too...'

Takeshi confirmed how far he was until he reached Toby. He could hear gunshots being fired and raised his hand. Three green orbs appeared by his head and moved forward.

Three beams of green light shot forward in the direction of the sounds.

He stopped running and turned around, his back in the direction of where he fired. He felt something bump into his back and felt something fuzzy on the back of his head.

"Alright, so we're both here. Masataka isn't too far, I assume."

"Right. Remember the plan?"

As they spoke, Toby throw two Scorpion blades with the flick of his wrist in the direction Takeshi had come from, while Takeshi fired three laser-like beams in the direction Toby was fighting.

"Of course. Don't forget who you're talking too."

"Hm. How could I forget? You're always too loud."

The two switched places, but continued to attack by throwing blades and firing beams.

"Whatever. Just get ready. I'm counting in you, since I can't see anymore. Don't let me down."

"I should be telling _you_ that."

 _"Would both of you just hurry up before I get bored and honestly start another doujinshi of you!?"_

Takeshi smirked while Toby grinned, both ready for their plan. They both turned around and ran by each other, high-fiveing as they ran by.

Takeshi ran in the direction Ninomiya was at, two orbs of green light by his head.

Toby ran in the direction Inukai and Tsuji were at, Scorpion blade in hand.

Ninomiya Squad saw their opponents running up to them and began their attack once more.

Two cubes of Trion appeared next to Ninomiya before splitting up into smaller, prickly, triangular ones. The prickly triangles sped forward, towards Takeshi, intent on filling him full of holes.

Inukai held up his gun while Tsuji lifted his Kōgetsu. They both attacked with Inukai firing his gun as Tsuji let loose a Senku, making sure not to hit the shots. They would put enough pressure on Toby so that he wouldn't be saved by his enhanced reflexes.

Toby and Takeshi saw the respective attacks come, and grinned. They both moved to their rights, dodging the attacks.

While on different sides of the field, the two spoke in unison.

"Teleport!"

Takeshi fired off five laser-like beams.

Toby threw two Scorpion blades.

Ninomiya was shocked when he was suddenly stabbed in both legs by blades.

Inukai and Tsuji were shocked when they were cut up by laser-like beams.

The three from Ninomiya Squad also seemed to be in synch as they thought,

'Special Teleport!'

 **Trion limit exceeded. Bail Out.**

A secret person had hidden themselves in the fog and used it to their advantage.

 **Trion limit exceeded. Bail Out.**

"..."

 **Trion limit exceeded. Bail Out.**

* * *

Takeshi landed on one if the mats in the room.

He opened his eyes and saw Suzume and Hoshi looking at him. He didn't say anything and just made his way to Mei.

"Toby, retreat. Wait out the rest if the battle. Ninomiya-san can out enough pressure on you to get some good hits on you. Plus, without any sight, you won't be able to do much when attacking."

 _"... Tsk. Fine. I'll at least get us a point this way."_

All three of the girls in the room smiled so this. There was no argument, only cooperation. They didn't have to worry about Toby going against his orders, or Takeshi getting frustrated.

'These two...'

Takeshi let out a small sigh as he fixed his scarf.

He looked down at the scarf in his grasp and stared for a few seconds. He noticed Suzume and Hoshi looking at him and he shook his head at them.

* * *

The match was over.

After Toby got his order, he fled from the area.

Ninomiya was still leaking a bit of Trion from the attacks Toby managed to land.

Kuruma couldn't be found.

The three didn't go after each other. They waited the rest if the fight out, just wanting it get one more point for their respective squads.

At this late in the match they wouldn't dare to take the risk of taking a point away from each other. Two of them had taken good hits, the last wouldn't stand a chance against the other two.

This was how the match came to an end.

* * *

QOTC: How disappointed are you from this whole match?

QOTC2: What one character from Yagura Branch would you like to see more of?

* * *

 **Upside is that this horrible match is over. Downside is that you just read through such a hideously written thing.**

 **Anyways. Sorry, Yujo. I used some of Minoru's style in this chapter. But! This will be the only time I do so!**

 **Until next time... See ya!**


	46. Shokubutsu Tenryū

**Chapter 46:** Shokubutsu Tenryū

* * *

[The match is over. The final score comes out to Kuruma Squad winning with 3 points, Kotowari Squad and Ninomiya Squad tied with 2 points each.]

* * *

"Sigh~ At least we got some points."

Toby scratched his head with his hat in his hand. He walked over to the other four at the desk, looking rather annoyed about what he just did.

Takeshi patted his shoulder while Hoshi gave a smile and a small "Good work, Toby-kun."

Toby just gave a grunt as he took a seat and let out a small sigh.

The others didn't need ask what was wrong with the Attacker. They all knew he was annoyed with how the match had turned out, and about how he had to fight during it.

Hoshi, being the kindest one there, walked up to Toby and gave a bright smile.

"It is okay, Toby-kun. Next time, you can fight however you wish to. This time was just a test for Kushi-nee."

"Yeah, yeah. I'm being a brat, I know."

* * *

"We won! We beat Kotowari Squad _and_ Ninomiya Squad!"

Kuruma and Murakami just watched as the Sniper happily jumped up and down. They didn't want to ruin his excitement by pointing a certain fact out.

Kon was about to point that same fact out, but was stopped when Murakami shook his head in her direction. She let out a sigh and said nothing.

Kuruma felt rather pleased with how the match turned out overall.

"Well, that's another match finished."

* * *

Ninomiya let out a sigh as he walked over to his squad.

"The fights themselves were bad," Inukai said with a smile. "Sorry about losing like that though."

Ninomiya didn't say anything. It wasn't that he was mad or disappointed, he just didn't need to say anything. Everyone knew exactly what happened, and what exactly was wrong with the match as a whole.

Ninomiya could imagine the smug look on his worst enemy's face the next time them met. Not only had his squad not won the match, but they were even outplayed by Yuki's former squad, for the most part.

Inukai walked up to his captain and patted his back with a pitying look.

"Don't worry. It'll take a toll on my wallet, but I'll bride him to keep his mouth shut."

* * *

[Now then, can we get your thoughts on the match?]

[ _ **The mistake in the whole thing is obvious.**_ ]

[ **As an Operator for a squad like Bakuto Squad, you should know this mistake as well.** ]

[Ahem. Yes, well...]

[ _It was obvious that Ninomoya Squad was going for Kotowari Squad, them being in the Top Tier for a while, and didn't give much thought towards Suzunari. Knowing him like I do, Taka probably let his emotions get the best if him this time. A rare thing to see for something like this._ ]

[ **Yeah. Sigh. I guess his overwhelming hatred towards Tsukiko fell onto Kotowari Squad, if only slightly. I'm sure Tsuji and Inukai were well aware if this and tried to get to the topic of Suzunari.** ]

[Kotowari Squad didn't seem to take from their former captain though, since _they_ went after Kuruma Squad.]

[ **That's not completely true.** ]

[?]

[ _They_ did _go after Suzunari, but they didn't give that their all. They focused more on Ninomiya Squad than they should have. Their general plan of taking the four corners of the field was good, but the follow-up wasn't. Some of it could also be because of the conditions they had to deal with. At the beginning, it may have seemed like Suzunari was being a bit risky, but that worked well since they only had to really deal with Hime and Suzu-chan._ ]

[ **They left Murakami to Taiyōko, so that itself was a mistake. They appear to have taken what Tsukiko had said during their match against Katori and Nasu squads, but they still fell to the appealing of wanting to prove something. They should have given Taiyōko more back-up. The final part of that fight was proof that if Misaki or Kotowari had been there for help her, Taiyōko would have survived while Murakami would Bail Out. That being said, Kuruma Squad is also to blame for that tie. Sigh. They should have been well prepared in case their ace had to Bail Out. I'm sure they knew a good amount of what Taiyōko could do, so they should have also sent either their captain or Taichi over to assist Murakami.** ]

[Now, about those two. Agent Misaki had to go against Captain Kuruma and Agent Betsuyaku, while Captain Kotowari was against Captain Ninomiya. They didn't seem like they would have been able to do much.]

[ **Sigh~ Not sure if you're being serious or you just want to do your part as a host... Sigh. Minoru, you explain this for me. Too irritating.** ]

[ _Hm... Anyways... I would say that Kotowari Squad may have overestimated Suzu-chan a bit there. She_ is _a skilled agent, but the conditions were the worst for her. Her usual style with Lightning and Scorpion weren't much help, and her gun couldn't get many hits in. Her being bait really was the best they could have done in that situation._ ]

[Moving on to agents Inukai, Tsuji and Awdry. It seems that Agent Awdry had taken a few pages from your book. That mixed in with the fog made him almost untouchable. The fact he had gotten hit was a bit amazing]

[ _I_ have _been helping him, but he sorta refused to learn anything beyond basics. He always says that "The style is yours! No way would I want to be a copycat who uses other people's moves!" In the end, he_ did _learn some things, but nothing much._ ]

[ **He's probably pissed right now then... He's almost the exact opposite of Tsukiko... Anyways. I'm sure he would have actually been able to take out Ninomiya, if he didn't get his eyes cut. He would have lost a good amount of Trion, but that would have been another point. Also, with the hidden appearance of Kuruma, he would have probably Bailed Out due to Trion loss.** ]

[Well, that has been this match of Round 6 of the B-Rank Wars. Any final things to say before we head out?]

[ _From a professional standpoint, I would have to say that both Ninomiya and Kotowari squads should make sure to keep their priorities balanced when thinking of their strategies when facing each other. Other than that, nothing else to really say._ ]

[ **... Sigh~~ As someone who fought both squads during the first match, I have to say that Ninomiya Squad is definitely getting better with each match, and Kotowari Squad is working much more like a team than they were at the start. This was just a small hiccup that most likely won't happen again. As for Kuruma Squad, they did well in thinking about how they would deal with each situation, more-or-less, and just need to focus on having the foresight of how certain battle will turn out.** ]

[Alright then. I have been your host, Seiza Kurome. Also, thank you for being here, deer commentators.]

[ _No problem!_ ]

[ **Sigh~ Yeah.** ]

* * *

Futoyuki stared in awe as he watched the people below him take their turns to take out the Bambster and become C-Ranks.

He had been let into Border through very odd, and risky, conditions, so he didn't get to do this. While he knew that he would have to problem getting through this with little problem, he still wanted to try it out for himself.

He knew that he wouldn't be allowed though. He had been able to sneak around suspicion from other agents and even the one's who had fought him were told that he wasn't the one he fought. Even so, he had been told by both Akasora and Pyrínas, someone who was technically under his command, that he should not take chances and blend in.

Blending in was something that came almost naturally for him. He and his group were the ones who had come to Mikado City and blended in so well that well trained agents couldn't tell they weren't from Earth. It was like that now as well.

"Maaaaaaaaan~~ I really wanna join in~ I know it took Akasora-san and the rest of them to get me here and at B-Rank, but I still wanna join the right way~ It's unfair if I don't."

As he let out a sigh, Futoyuki saw someone that made him raise an eyebrow.

"Isn't he..."

The person he was looking at was a male with short, messy, light brown hair, pale skin and blue-green eyes. He had gone up and taken out the Trion soldier in less than 2 seconds. From his spot, Futoyuki could see the agent with a red jacket saying something. He was able to read the red-jacket agent's lips.

"'What an impressive record! Second best in recorded history!' Interesting... Although, I guess that's to be expected..."

Futoyuki's expression went from a semi-serious one to his usual happy-go-lucky one as he turned around and headed for the exit.

"Now then! Let's see if I can win a few hotdogs outta someone!"

* * *

Shobu got up from his seat and made his way to the exit. He could see the three oldest Taiyōko siblings walking out as well, but made no move to catch up to them.

"Hey, hey, hey! Tenryū-senpai! Do you know if we could see Pyrínas-san!?"

Shobu turned around to see Michelle, Stepney and Mitsubachi looking at him with wide and waiting eyes. He didn't kind children at all, but he wasn't someone who spoke too often.

"... Yes... That should be fine..."

The three kids gave a cheers before rushing out of the room, Minoru trailing behind once he found out Michelle was there.

Shobu ducked his head and continued to make his way to the exit. Once he was out of the room, he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around and saw that it was how Katori Squad that had gotten his attention.

Katori looked bored and Wakamura seemed to be thinking about something.

Miura looked at Shobu with a smile, making the younger one shrink back a bit.

"..."

Katori gave a grunt before turning around and waving.

"I'm leaving. Kid, if you see that little girl, tell her to stay clear of me."

Wakamura nodded his head and left in the other direction.

"I'm going too. Don't worry, kid, I'll tell her."

Miura and Shobu watched the two leave, one giving a way while the other just tried to hide in his clothes.

"... My name is... Tenryū Shokubutsu..."

Miura looked down at Shobu, smile still in place. He had heard the very small whisper from Shobu. He noticed something strange about Shobu, and that was what was around his neck. The smartphone that was hanging from his neck and the 1seg TV showed complex images one after another.

"We never introduced ourselves. Sorry about that. The girl that left is our squad captain, Katori Yōko. The other one is Wakamura Rokurō, or Rokkun. I'm Miura Yūta."

"... Hello..."

Shobu started to walk away, Miura following right behind. He figured he would get to know the shy boy since he didn't have anything to do at the time. Shobu seemed fine with this since he didn't say anything. Or he just didn't went to say anything and sound rude.

"So, do you have a squad?"

"... No... New B-Rank..."

"Oh? You're new? So you joined just a while ago, huh?"

"... No... For a while... I took my time..."

"So that means you're good with whichever Trigger you chose?"

"... Yes..."

"Hey... On your collar... That's the emblem for that new branch right? Yagura Branch, I think it was called. So you're a part of it? Ah! So that's why you came to see the match."

"..."

Shobu knew that Miura was trying to be nice, but he wasn't sure he could keep up with the older boy. It wasn't because he didn't like Miura, it was that he didn't think Miura would like to talk to him since he didn't talk much.

He was never a very talkative person to begin with and that usually got other people thinking he was just being rude. He never tried to clear up the misunderstanding because their voices were much louder than his soft spoken one.

As he walked with Miura, Shobu's mind started to wander to his two friends that usualy cling to him. He had left with them to see the match, but when they got there the two had told him they would be doing some solo matches.

* * *

"So close! Crap!"

Kirigiri Kazekiri cursed as he looked at how many points he had.

Next to him stood Mori Kirisame, one of his best friends.

To some they were known as either the Kiri Duo or the Weather Duo, but to others they were Kaze and Ame. They had been friends for some time now and were currently trying to raise their points to finally make it to B-Rank.

They had been following Shobu's lead and moved up at a slow pace. The two knew it was because Shobu was too shy to actually go into any solo matches, so it was a surprise to them when he had come up to them and told them he had gotten 2000 points from three people. He fought them separately of course.

Not wanting to be left behind, the two quickly went to the booths on search of solo matches. Ame was the first one to get enough points and was officially a B-Rank agent.

That left Kaze with just enough to keep him at C-Rank.

"Gah! I just need a little bit more! Once I'm up there with you two, we can make our official squad! No way am I gonna be the one to let Shobu down!"

Ame rolled his eyes as he looked at the screen.

He had been staying with Kaze the whole time so that the boy didn't do anything recklace or stupid. He also found it somewhat entertaining seeing his friend pout over simple things like "the fights are too boring now!".

"Hey, who do you think those three people Shobu beat were? I mean, he said they had a pretty high amount of points, but he didn't really say what they looked like, or even what Trigger they used."

"Who knows. I didn't really care anyways. I just want to hurry up and become B-Rank so that I can have some matches with others."

"Is it just more...or do Scorpion users always seem to have a sort of arrogance about them?"

"We can be arrogant if we have the skill to back it up."

"Then why are you still a lowly C-Rank~"

"What the-!? Hey! Take that back!"

Ame just laughed as Kaze raised his fist.

Kaze clicked his tongue before getting up and picking a random person to go against. He gave a wave before heading over for the fight.

Ame rolled his eyes and took a look at the screen.

"Hound, huh? This should be interesting."

* * *

Once Kaze was on the battlefield, he got a look at his opponent. The person had medium black hair slicked to his left-hand side, and black eyes.

"So you're my opponent, huh? Let's have some fun, 'kay!?"

His opponent just have an arrogant grin and did a small hair flip.

"So I'm fighting a kid?"

Once the match started...

* * *

Ame stared. He blinked a few times, but other than that he just gave a blank stare.

"That guy... I sorta feel insulted that he's a Shooter as well... I'll just say that it was because he was against Kaze..."

* * *

"..."

Shobu stood behind Miura as the older talked with another person. The person was Tomoe Kotaro, or so he said. Shobu could tell they were talking about "this guy who became B-Rank so quickly". He wondered who that person could be as he grabbed the smartphone around his neck.

He had thought that it may have been another special situation like Futoyuki and Arisa, but quickly crossed that out since this person had been made a C-Rank that same day.

Pulling up the smartphone, Shobu hid his face behind it as he looked at the screen that had graph on it.

"Miura-senpai! What's going on!?"

Shobu moves the smartphone just a bit so that he could see who was walking up to the two people in front of him with only his right eye. He saw Hisato walking up with another person next to him who had hair spiked up in the front.

Miura turned to the two walking up and answered.

"Erm... There's this guy that enlisted today, and he has already gotten to B-Rank..."

"He enlisted today...!? Then he, in one day... No, zero days...!?"

"Is this the fastest record ever!?"

The blond haired guy with the spike in the front of his head reminded Shobu of his friend Kaze quite a bit, but he didn't say anything about it.

"You gotta fight him! Fight him! He's already at B-Rank, right!?"

"Yeah. I'm also a bit interested in him..."

"But he was a C-Rank until just now... So he only has one Trigger. He also doesn't have Shield," Tomoe said.

"Ah, is that so?"

"Then let's only use one blade as well... And not make any changes to the points, then things should be fine...right?"

As they spoke, Tokieda came up, apparently hearing the whole thing. He had told the group that he would go tell "the guy who became B-Rank so quickly" about the proposal. Miura thanked him for it.

Shobu thought about that for a moment and remembered that he himself hadn't put any other Triggers on either. He only had the one Kōgetsu in his slots. He started thinking about the ones he could put in the open slots.

"Tenryū, you became a B-Rank too?"

Shobu jumped a bit when he heard someone talking to him. He looked to see that it was Hisato who was speaking to him. The other three were also looking at him.

Shobu instinctively looked down and found that his toes seemed like a rather interesting subject to focus on at the moment.

"Hey! Name's Koarai Noboru!"

The boy with his hair spiked in the front looked at Shobu with a big grin. This seemed to make Shobu really wonder if he was related to certain people he ones, besides Kaze.

"... Tenryū... Shokubutsu..."

"Huh? Sorry, I couldn't hear you."

"..."

Hisato and Miura, both familiar with how shy Shobu was, decided to talk in his stead.

Shobu himself just tried to shrink into his clothes.

"He's Tenryū Shokubutsu," Hisato said as he looked from Koarai back to Shobu. "So when did you become B-Rank? Last time I saw you, you were still C-Rank, and that was only a few days ago."

"... Yesterday... Sorry..."

"No need to apologize."

Before they could continue talking, Tokieda came back, telling them the challenge was accepted.

Koarai continued to grin as he rushed to a booth while exclaiming, "Great! Me first!"

Shobu wondered why he was still there when he could have walked away at any time. Regardless, he still followed the others while holding the smartphone in his hand.

* * *

Three matches had gone by with "the guy who became B-Rank so quickly" - Hyuse, as Shobu had learned - taking out Koarai, Tomoe and Miura without losing once.

During this time, the screens around Shobu's neck started showing different things each time one of the rounds was done for each match. Shobu continually looked down at them as he watched each match.

Now it was time for the fourth match, the one involving Hisato and Hyuse.

"I've memorized his movements," Hisato said as he clenched his fist. "I'll get a win back for you guys."

Shobu looked up with a small sparkle in his eyes.

"... So cool..."

Once Hisato had gone in to fight, Shobu watched with more interest than he did with the other three.

The score was indeed better with Hisato scoring a point while also getting a decent amount if damage on Hyuse.

Once that was done, Hisato took a seat and let out a sigh.

"You did it! You got a win back for us!"

"But it really was only just 'a single win'."

"You were really impressive already. Can't say for sure, but even if we were fully equipped, we might still be..."

"Not sure if we're at that state yet..."

Shobu started to fidget in as he stood closer to one side if the room. He looked from the boys to the smartphone around his neck. He wanted to make sure he didn't make eye contact with them, but he also felt a bit bad for them all.

"Oh!"

Shobu looked over to see Koarai by the door, apparently looking at someone. He also looked out of the opening and saw one of the people in the recent match he had seen. That person, from what he remembered, was Tsuji Shinnosuke of Ninomiya Squad.

Koarai called Tsuji over and explained everything that was happening.

Tsuji agreed to take part in a match with Hyuse and got ready.

Shobu had seen some of what Tsuji could do during the match he had with Kuruma Squad and Kotowari Squad, but he thought this was a good opportunity to see what he could do in a one-on-zone match.

The match had been the best so far with Tsuji getting two points while also take off limbs at times from Hyuse.

As all of the boys in the room talked about what was going on with none of them being able to beat him, Shobu seemed to have his smartphone right in front of him as seemingly complicated things appeared in the screen.

He had been listening to the other talk as he looked through every single thing on the smartphone around his neck.

He had felt bad for the other boys and wasn't too sure why. He understood the specifics of why he felt that way, but he didn't know why _he actually felt like that_. He hadn't known them for very long, most if them meeting him that very day, so he didn't have any sort of attachment to them in the slightest.

Yet here he was, feeling bad for them that they lost to this new B-Rank agent who had only, that day, become a B-Rank.

"I... I would also...like to...have a match...with him..."

The others in the room quickly turned their heads when they heard the very low whisper in the room. They had almost forgotten Shobu was there since he hadn't really said anything the whole time.

Shobu looked down and started to fidget.

"... If that...wouldn't...be a problem..."

"N-no... Go ahead."

Shobu nodded his head. He still wasn't too sure what he was exactly doing, but it got his heart bumping in his chest as if he was a little kid going to an amusement park. He knew it was a childish thing, but he felt rather happy about doing it.

He placed the items around his neck on the table, face down, and made his way invert I get transported.

* * *

Shobu looked around the area in a bit of awe. He couldn't get over small things like being transported.

He immediately shook his head and took off the simple jacks he had on.

From nearby, Hyuse waited. He had wondered why he was now facing against someone who looked like a child, but didn't voice his curiosity. The reason being a simple one that someone could figure out if they knew where he came from.

Shobu tied the jacket around his waist and pulled out his Kōgetsu.

The two go ready for the first round as the time started to reach zero.

Once they heard that they could start...

Both stayed still.

They looked at each other for a few seconds before running towards each other.

Hyuse moved his arm, and by extension his blade, to strike Shobu. He had expected the boy to either dodge or block, but he didn't expect what happened next.

Shobu moved his arm, and by extension his blade, in a mirrored version of Hyuse.

Before the blades could be used, the end of the hilts slammed into each other, making Hyuse lag for a few seconds.

Shobu used those few seconds to his advantage and moved in to attack.

Hyuse twisted his body to dodge, but still ended up with a cut on the side. He retaliated with a slash, but ended up missing.

He jumped back then moved forward at a quicker pace than before.

He had thought it may have been some kind of trick or that he was unconsciously going easy since Shobu looked like a child. The more he thought about it the more he realized that Shobu only had Kōgetsu, so there were no tricks. He also knew that he wouldn't hold back in a simple match like this.

'So this one has skill as well.'

Hyuse started trading blows with Shobu, intending to deliver the final strike, but never finding a good opening for more than three seconds.

He had wondered who exactly had trained Shobu since he was able to keep up, even in such a small body that was wielding Kōgetsu, a heavier blade than Scorpion.

The two clashed for a few seconds before pushing each other back.

Shobu was the first one to gain his balance and move forward.

Hyuse lunged forward with his Kōgetsu.

"!?"

Hyuse went wide eyed when his vision was covered by the jacket that had been around Shobu's waist.

Shobu moved quickly and cut off Hyuse's arm. He had grabbed Hyuse's Kōgetsu and jumped up before using both blades to stab right through Hyuse's head and heart; his Trion supply system and communication system.

The first round had gone to Shobu in less time than any of the others.

* * *

Koarai stood in the room with his mouth hanging open.

As the next few rounds began, Miura and Tomoe soon joined him with their mouths wide open and eyes wide as well.

Hisato and Tsuji were also shocked at seeing how the fights were going.

The next round had Hyuse as the winner, but he had a good amount of cuts on him.

The round after that, Shobu was the winner with Trion leaking from multiple areas.

The round after that, Shobu had won again.

The remaining rounds had Hyuse as the winner. As each round went by, Hyuse seemed to be gaining more and more cuts.

What's more was that everyone could see that the way Shobu fought in each round was vastly different than he had in the round prior. It wasn't like Yuki, who would copy his opponent, or Murakami, who would gradually change as he memorized his opponents fighting style. This change was as if a new person was fighting every round.

Once it was all done, Hyuse had been claimed as the overall winner.

Shobu now stood in the room with his head facing the ground.

"That was amazing! You even beat Tsuji-senpai's record!"

Shobu was feeling conflicted now. He was sad that he hadn't been able to win for the others, but he also felt happy that he was being congratulated by the ones who had been agents longer than he had.

He had only ever had Kaze and Ame as friends until now. He didn't want to assume that any of them thought of him as a friend, but he entertained the thought long enough for him to give a small glance up.

He walked over to his devices and put them around his neck again.

The boys had gone back to talking about Hyuse. The difference this time being that Shobu was looking at them as they spoke, instead of the devices around his neck.

He looked around and saw that Koarai was back at the door.

"Ah! Iko-san! Good, you're just in time!"

Shobu took a small peak outside and saw that the person Koarai had been calling was a guy with black hair that was slicked back and wearing large rectangular goggles.

"... Who is...he...?"

* * *

QOTC: Favorite plant(s)?

* * *

Shokubutsu Tenryū

\- 15 Years Old

\- Born Jan. 10

\- Clavis, Blood Type O

\- Height: 5'

\- Likes: Plants, Friends, Animals

* * *

 **Gah! Okay! Sorry if things were confusing in any way, shape or form! Also! I would appreciate it if no one complained about Shobu beating Hyuse three times while Tsuji only beat him twice! I've mentioned in this chapter that he was taking things slow when it came to points! BUT he** ** _has_** **been training with Akasora and the Taiyōko siblings!**

 **Anyways...**

 **Since I'm now caught up with the manga (never thought that would happen), I shall go crawl under my covers and hide my face in shame! ... Nah. I'm gonna be working on the remake of this fic, which is already ten chapter longer than this is. That's not to say I won't be making new chapters as the canon ones come out.**

 **Anyways! I'm just blabbering at this point!**

 **Until next time... See ya!**


	47. Yagura Branch: Part 3

**Chapter 47:** Yagura Branch: Part 3

* * *

Shobu had to wonder who this new person was.

He was standing off to the side again when Koarai had called over "Iko-san". Hisato had quickly told him the man's name was Ikoma Tatsuhito.

Just from the appearance, Shobu fingered that Ikoma was "the cool type", but quickly learned that it wasn't exactly like that. He himself knew that it was pointless to determine a person's personality just from appearance alone, he himself was an example of that.

Ikoma was looking at the screen with no particular expression on his face.

Shobu pulled up his tablet to his face and started looking over the screen. The screen had multiple charts and complicated text on it. If someone else in the room were to look at the screen they would most likely get a headache.

"Ooh ooh. Hm hm. For real? Gettin' 5-2 against Tsuji-chan, that's quite a fighter. ...? 5-3?" Turning to the group behind him, Ikoma continued to speak while pointing at the screen. "Who's Tenryū?"

Hisato was the first to speak up.

"He's Tenryū Shokubutsu, over there."

Ikoma turned to the corner of the room where Shobu had the tablet around his neck up to his face. His expression didn't change, and it was hard to see his eyes behind the glare from his goggles.

Once Shobu noticed he was being stared at he jumped and looked at the ground.

He moved the tablet up so that it covered his who face. He then moved his face so that half of it was being covered up by the tablet. He looked from the tablet to Ikoma, back to the tablet.

"He's shy."

Ikoma said nothing about Shobu and just insisted he go next against Hyuse.

Shobu turned back to his screen as Ikoma went off to the fight.

* * *

At the same time as this was going on, Futoyuki walked around the Border base with a hotdog in his hand.

He had been looking around in amazement at how large the whole interior of the building waw, and even met some new people. Some of those new people were the captain of Arafune Squad, two members of the #3 Kazama Squad, the Shooter of Kageura Squad, and the captain of Kako Squad.

Now here he was, just aimlessly walking around.

He never had anything particular to do, and he didn't actually knowing anyone else, so he wasn't sure what exactly to do. He figured he could go have some fights, but thought that he didn't want to move around too much in a fight, and instead took to just walking.

The thought of a fight was still lingering in his mind though.

'I've taken in what they call 'Scorpion', 'Lead Bullets', and 'Hound', so... Why did Yuki-aniki and Akasora-san make me wield this kind of blade...?'

Futoyuki had wanted to use the Triggers he had been use to during "the incident after the fourth B-Rank war match". He was quickly told that he wasn't allowed to by his senior and boss. Their reasoning had been a simple "You need to get use to other Triggers."

He understood that, but he would have liked to use the ones he had "taken" before. After seeing one of the recent matches in the B-Rank war, he really wanted to try out Lead Bullets with Hound. That idea was swatted down almost immediately.

He wasn't use to this much restraint in choices of weapons, but he didn't complain too much. He knew that it took a lot for him to even be allowed into Border. The fact he could be put in B-Rank right away was something else that made him extremely happy. Although he would have been fine with doing things properly.

Even so, he wanted to have a bit more fun when it came to Trigger choices.

"Poo~! Hatomi-san would have let me... No. Nevermind. He really wouldn't have let me use them... Why are old people so much alike!?"

Futoyuki didn't seem to notice that attention he was now getting for his sudden outburst. He really wouldn't care regardless of that though.

He had missed his former team at times, but really didn't dwell on it too much. He had made the decision to stay, and he was pretty sure they wanted a break from him. He was too laid back to really get "homesick" anyways.

Letting out a sigh, he looked around to see he was now in a different area. It seemed to be one with multiple rooms lined up on ground level and an upper level. He looked at them and noticed that one door was opened.

He took a small look inside from the semi-far distance and noticed a familiar person in the room.

"Shobu-aniki?"

* * *

The group started talking as they waited for the match to begin.

Shobu didn't actually know what Ikoma could do, so he was interested in this match. Although he didn't voice it. He was curious as to how this the would go, like the others, and raised one of the devices hanging from his neck.

He had never kept up with rankings or thing like that so he didn't actually know where everyone was placed on the power scale. He took this as a change to get out of his shell a bit, more so than he already has, and figure out who was strong.

"Who do you think will win?"

"Obviously Iko-san, right?"

"He's one of the only 7 Attackers in Border who's over 10,000."

Now Shobu knew. He knew a new piece of information that he hadn't known before, meaning he felt he was getting out of his shell just a little more.

Tsuji was next to speak up.

Unlike the others he was thinking of a different outcome.

"I think the rookie will win. No Senku after all."

Tomoe seemed to agree with this.

"..."

Shobu continued to stay in the corner of the room. It wasn't that he didn't want to be around the others, more like he could focus more in that corner than with the others. He didn't really want to miss any part of the match, so he figured being away from the noise would help him out.

He had watched the match along with the others.

They all watched as Ikoma quickly took Hyuse out in even less time than Shobu had.

Shobu may have just recently become a B-Rank, like Hyuse, but he was still skilled enough from learning from his uncle and the family if soldiers were were a part of the Yagura Branch. Seeing someone take Hyuse out that quickly automatically got Shobu thinking that Ikoma was one of the high ranked Attacker.

All he knew about that guy was the small information he got from overhearing the conversation before.

"Iko-san got a win!"

"It's the second time someone else was the first to score!"

As the match went on the score continually changed from Ikoma having the lead to Hyuse winning.

It really was an amazing sight. Everyone saw as the person that had beaten all of them, some more so than others, keeping up with the #6 Attacker of Border. It wasn't like the match with Shobu, who had been able to continually leave more, and was more like they two were delivering a single, decisive strike each time.

Each round was also quick with little really happening besides blocks and counter attacks. That flow was what really got some of their attention though.

It was how the last round that would decide who would win overall. The current score was 4-4.

Ikoma had managed to push Hyuse back.

He got ready for his last attack that would decide the match.

It seemed like he would win.

But he ended up making a mistake.

 _"Senku Kōgetsu!"_

They blinked.

"..."

They blinked as the match had ended with Hyuse as the winner. He had lost in the actual battle, but won due to Ikoma's mistake.

Once Ikoma was back with them, he moved to sit up from the mat.

"My deepest apologizes," Ikoma said while scratching his head. "Ah did it outta habit."

"Geez, Iko-san! We said there's to be no Senku!"

"It was close."

"Damn it~ Won't someone else pass though~ Like Kou-san or Kage-senpai..."

Shobu wondered if Koarai was always like this, or if he just really wanted to see Hyuse lose. He figured it was a little bit of both and kept his mouth shut. He himself wanted to see if these people could beat Hyuse.

Shobu looked over at where Koarai was looking, trying to see if anyone actually did happen to walk by, and saw two people. The first was Tachikawa Kei. He had just walked up to them with a grin. The second was Futoyuki, who walked up to Shobu himself.

The two were told what was going on, after Futoyuki introduced himself, and the #1 Attacker quickly took up the challenge.

The fights weren't that long either, and the winner overall was Tachikawa with a 5-1 victory.

Futoyuki had been asked if he wanted to fight as well, but declined since he thought Hyuse had had enough fighting.

That's at least what he said.

By the end of it all the original group had gone up to Hyuse while the others stayed off to the side.

"You're super strong! Just who are you!?"

"Thanks for fighting us."

Futoyuki let out a small whistle as he stood off with Shobu, away from the main group and the side group. He had been told that Tachikawa was the only one who had beat Hyuse, Ikoma coming close.

He had guessed Hyuse's secret wasn't known to everyone else, like his predicament, so he just grinned.

He noticed that Shobu was messing around with one of the devices that was hanging from his neck. He took a small look down to see the charts and complex things on the screen. He raised an eyebrow when he saw everything on the screen moving too fast to really keep up. He was able to see parts that said "Iko- -to -ve -tern (Unfin-)" and "-ikawa Kei Bra- Pa- (-shed)".

"So... Shobu-aniki, did you fight as well?"

"... Yes..."

"How'd it go?"

"... Lost... 5-3..."

Getting another grin, Futoyuki walked up to the side group with a casual walk.

He had recognized Tachikawa as one of the people he had gone against during "the incident after the fourth B-Rank war match". The other two he had just met when he entered the room with Tachikawa.

He stood in front of Ikoma, getting the trio's attention.

"Hello~ In case you weren't listening before, I'm Futoyuki. Who are you again?"

"Ikoma Tatsuhito."

"Ikoma... Tatsuhito...? Alright. I've decided then... I will be taking you on! Fufufu!"

"..."

"..."

The one's around them turned their heads and blinked a few times.

Futoyuki stood there, arm outstretched, finger pointed at Ikoma, with a smirk on his face. Beads of sweat could be seen coming from his face as the seconds went on.

He quickly turned around and gave the others a desperate look.

"That's how you all laugh over here, right?"

With voices that seemed not completely understand the situation, they all said in unison,

"Only in anime and manga."

Futoyuki gave a wink, stuck his tongue out, and knocked on his own head.

"My bad~ Tee~hee~"

No one actually knew what to think at this point.

Ikoma, who hadn't been paying much attention to Futoyuki at all, nodded his head a few times.

"Unlike the battle you just hand, everything goes. It's my first time actually coming here, so I really, really, really wanna have some fights. Going against Yuki-aniki and Kushi-chan are getting kinda boring~"

That was when the three he was in front of noticed the Yagura Branch emblem that was on his collar. This actually got Ikoma wondering about him. He knew that the Taiyōko family, along with Akasora, were a part of the Yagura Branch, but didn't even know who this person was.

Tachikawa was interested as well, but for a different reason.

Futoyuki shook his head and let out a sigh.

"To tell you the truth, I just wanna fight _someone._ You just seemed like a fun person to fight against. Not to mention I've already fought against Tachikawa-shi there."

The others were either shocked or just raised an eyebrow.

Futoyuki tilted his head at their confusion. He felt a small tug on his sleeve and looked to see Shobu looking at him.

"..."

Futoyuki froze for a second when he realized what he just said.

He had already said he hadn't been to the base before, yet he just said he fought against Tachikawa. That would make those paying attention curious. He had forgotten for about it in his annoyance of not having a fight.

Tachikawa, seeing his the other had messed up, decided to help out.

"I've been to the Yagura Branch. We fought over there. I won, of course."

Futoyuki seemed grateful for the save, and he didn't even mind that the #1 just said he won in the match that never happened.

He turned back to Ikoma with the same grin as before.

"So? Yeah!?"

"..."

Normally, Ikoma would gladly take the challenge, but he stayed silent.

Futoyuki tilted his head when he noticed Tsuji, Ikoma, and Tachikawa take a big step back. From the corner of his eye he could see the other group also moving away.

"?"

He suddenly hit the ground as two feet hung in the air where his head use to be.

He quickly turned his head while holding it and saw Yuki and Kushikage standing there, giving him a pissed off look.

The group of B-Ranks hadn't seen Yuki look like this, so they were a bit scared.

" **So we're boring, huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuh!?** "

Futoyuki gave a sheepish laugh as he rubbed his head.

He didn't know the true terror that the family of soldiers could actually bring. The only ones who were aware of this terror were Ikoma, Tsuji, Shobu, and Tachikawa. That meant that only those four knew what to get ready for.

While on the other side, the group of B-Rank weren't sure what was going on. Hisato and Tomoe seemed to be shaking while Miura and Koarai just stayed frozen in place. Hyuse stared wide eyed as he saw, what he swore, something that looked like a purple aura coming off of the two.

He wondered if Miden's air was different from Aftokrator's.

Yuki and Kushikage stood there, strange purple aura around them, looking down at their fellow branch member.

The two had left once that recent match had ended. Yuki went his own way, Kushikage seemed to want to follow him, so she did. They had left Mukuro to his own devices as they walked around.

"Hey, hey, hey. No need to be so violent."

The moment Tachikawa opened his mouth, he regretted ever saying anything.

He quickly hid behind Ikoma as the two A-Ranks gave him a death glare that seemed to burn through his Trion body, into his real body, then all the way down to his core.

They were just that scary.

Yuki was the first to calm down. He let out a sigh and scratched the back of his head.

"Well, it's not like I really have a reason to stay here. I'm sure a Sensei's getting irritated by one thing or another at this point. I'll see you guys around."

"Wait! When was the last time we had a match? Come on, Yuki~! I wanna see how you do with that new Trigger of yours! You haven't fought me with it yet!"

"That's because I don't care too. I'm not as use to it as I was with Kōgetsu, so I wouldn't be keeping us as much as before. No point in wasting my time with something I know that's gonna be pointless."

"No fun~"

By this point the group of B-Rank had gone for to do something else, more matches with each other was the most likely option. That meant they didn't hear how different Yuki's tone was compared to the other times they had talked to him.

Tsuji was still around, but he had heard different things from Yuki. His captain and Yuki _did_ hate each other after all.

At the same time, Ikoma and Futoyuki had decided to take their leave for their own match. They had left Shobu behind to stand next to Yuki.

"If you want to fight so badly, fight with this woman. I'm sure you'll both go until you're both satisfied. Heh. The #1 Attacker from Mikado City against the Unmatched Valkyrie from Sweden. I'll actually admit that it would be an interesting match."

Yuki had no time to react, which was an amazing feet on its own, as Kushikage and Tachikawa grabbed him by his arms and lifted him into the air.

He started to squirm in their grip, but couldn't get out of their grasps.

He was placed down, Shobu taking a seat next to him, and gave an irritated look at the two older agents. He couldn't say anything though as the two quickly ran off, presumably to start their match.

Yuki let out a small sigh and crossed his arms and legs over each other. He looked rather irritated, but kept a professional face up, something he had learned through rigorous training with Arashiyama. He truly was interested in how this match would go, he just didn't want to see the actual fights.

Apparently, Tachikawa and Kushikage had gone with "First one to win by two points wins overall", meaning that this would be a long match. Maybe even an endless one. Something like this wasn't good when it came to the two best agents Yuki knew.

"Uwah~! Tachikawa-senpai is fighting! I've gotta see this!"

Yuki lazily looked over to see a familiar girl, standing and staring.

The girl was rather tall for someone her age. She had red-brown hair done up in a braid, and vibrant green eyes that were sparkling at the sight of the #1 Attacker in a fight. She seemed to be in her Trion body since she was in her squad uniform, which consisted of a short-sleeved red t-shirt with a black vest over it with black leggings and brown ankle boots. The Border emblem can be found on the left side of her vest.

A boy could be seen standing next to her. The boy was around the same height as the girl, if not an inch or two shorter, and hand black hair above his hazel eyes. He also seemed to be in his Trion body as he had on a short-sleeved jacket, long short, fingerless gloves, and ski goggles with a purple rim. Overall he seemed like someone who could possibly work wit he engineers.

Yuki knew exactly who the two were, but wasn't _that_ well acquainted with them. He mostly knew them from what his former squad would say, since they were the ones who seemed to hang around the two more than he did.

"Huh? He's fighting that rude woman?"

"Do you know her? I've seen here around, heard some rumors, but don't really know who she is."

"I've tried to forget about her."

Yuki, overhearing the conversation, decided to put his own two cents in while looking at the fight that was about to begin.

"She is my older sister. Taiyōko Kushikage."

Maya and Noah jumped a bit and turned see Yuki looking forward while also seeming to side Shobu from the side.

"Oh, Yuki."

"Hey."

The two B-Rank captain took a seat with Maya sitting next to Yuki and Noah next to her. They both looked back up to see the fight starting.

"So _she_ is your sister? Really don't see the resemblance."

"Thank you. Anyways. Yes, she is my older sister. Biologically speaking at least. I could care less for her, and the feeling is definitely mutual. I'm jugs here because those two decided that I have to be their witness should anything particular happen."

"Hm? Like what?"

"Like that."

The two turned from looking at Yuki, who was pointing up, to looking at the score. Their eyes quickly went wide at what they saw.

 **Tachikawa:** XOXOXO

 **Taiyōko:** OXOXOX

Within the very small amout of time they had been talking, the two who were fighting had already gotten through five rounds, both having three wins over each other.

Yuki and Shobu didn't seem shocked by this.

It wasn't just them though. Another match had been going on between Futoyuki and Ikoma, but that really seemed like two kids just tossing sand at each other compared to this. Most of the people around were too fixated on "the woman who is able to tie with the #1 Attacker" than anything else. They all seemed to be at a loss for words.

No one could blame them either. To see someone like Tachikawa in this kind of situation, against _anyone_ , was something amazing. Since most, if not all, didn't know who Kushikage was they were really shocked. It wasn't just the fights, but also what was being use in the fights.

Tachikawa had seemed to be going all out, destroying multiple buildings with Senku as he wielded both Kōgetsu in his hands. Kushikage was doing the same about of damage, of not more, with the large claymore that she swung around with a single arm.

The large and heavy Trigger didn't seem to hinder her in the slightest as she moved around easily and blocked a good amount of attacks.

Everyone stared as the score continued to change.

 **Tachikawa:** XOXOXOXOXOXO

 **Taiyōko:** OXOXOXOXOXOX

The score had doubled, yet they were still at a tie.

Yuki let out another sigh as he relaxed in his seat.

"Maybe I should just go get some ice cream."

* * *

QOTC: What squad would you want to be a part of?


	48. Taiyōko Family: Part 2

**Chapter 48:** Taiyōko Family: Part 2

* * *

Generally speaking, a soldier, a sister, and a valkyrie had absolutely nothing in common.

Generally speaking, a soldier is someone who fights as part of an organised, land-based armed force.

Generally speaking, a sister is a woman or girl in relation to other daughters and sons of her parents.

Generally speaking, a valkyrie is female figure who choose those who may die in battle and those who may live in Norse mythology.

Strictly speaking, Taiyōko Kushikage was two out of three of these. She was not one it of these three.

She was most certainly _not_ a powerful woman from Norse mythology who decided who dies. And she was definitely _not_ an unmatched one. She had received such a title after becoming the strongest agent in Sweden's Border.

She was born a civilian, raised as a soldier.

She became a sister the moment her first brother came into the world.

* * *

Kushikage and Tachikawa grinned as they continued their fight.

They had lost track of what round they were on, but neither actually cared. They were having fun going against someone who could continually keep up with them without losing momentum. Others would have given up, or lost, by this point, so it only made it that much more fun to continue on.

Tachikawa quickly moved both blades though the air, extended slashes flying everywhere. He had gone up against others, but Kushikage was one of the only people who he could continue on like this. Jin was another one of those people.

For every attack he made, Kushikage countered. For every attack she countered, he would have another attack ready. It was like a game of Rock, Paper, Sciccors. All that mattered between the two was who would make a mistake in their choices first.

Kushikage was just as happy about this all. She was finally fighting someone who could rival her in attack and skill. Mei was one thing, but her moves always seemed just a little too planned out, where as Tachikawa continued on like her, just fighting until one person won.

Their attacks were amazing to watch.

Kushikage would swing the large claymore to the side, swatting away one of Tachikawa's blades.

Tachikawa would swing his other blade, but Kushikage would use her leg to kick the arm away.

Tachikawa was able to see the reason why she was considered the "natural soldier" in her family. She didn't just use Triggers, she used her body for blocks and different moves. They weren't moves someone could usually see in a fight between Triggers, more like a fight you would see in a hand-to-hand combat fight in a war. Not only that but she also used her large claymore with such skill and grace that he could also see why she had been called "The Unmatched Valkyrie".

He felt a sort of excitement and rush that had the possibility of exceeding any matches he had with Jin. He didn't want the fights to end. He wanted to continue fighting with this beautiful and skilled woman in front of him.

* * *

By this point a good portion of the crowd had left. Some stayed to watch with wide eyes. They really couldn't take their eyes off of what they were seeing.

 **Tachikawa:** XOXOXOXOXOXOOXOXOXOXOXOXX

 **Taiyōko:** OXOXOXOXOXOXXOXOXOXOXOXOO

Yuki was a bit surpsied. He knew how skilled the two currently fight were, but he didn't think it would go on four _25 rounds._ He thought that at least one of them would have won by now, but it stayed at a tie this whole time.

One had gotten the upper hand at some point, but that was stopped in the mist recent round. They were back to being at a tie. The #1 Attacker and The Unmatched Valkyrie were on equal footing. One would lose, the other would lose. One would win, the other would win.

Next to him, Maya stared with wide eyes. She had looked up to Tachikawa as a fellow dual-Kōgetsu wielder, so seeing him tie this much with the woman who had insulted her before was frying her brain a bit.

Noah was a bit better off, but still in shock. He used Kōgetsu himself, although he was an All-Rounder so it didn't mean as much to him, but he felt so inadequate compared to the two he was seeing. He knew that Kushikage was using a specialized Trigger, but seeing it take on _two Kōgetsu from the #1 of Border_ made him a hit unnerved.

After another 10 or so minutes the fight came to an end. The final score ended up being 33-31, Tachikawa being the winner.

Once they got out, and walked over to Yuki and the group, they grinned to each other hand clapped their hands together in a firm handshake.

Yuki had watched this happen and felt a familiar feeling in his chest. It was the same feeling he got whenever he saw his younger sister together with Wakamura, blushing and smiling. He really didn't want to think he was feeling the same protectiveness for his older sister, but the feeling continued to bug him. So much so that he got a deep frown on his face without even noticing.

Shobu was kind enough to point it out to him though.

He quickly put an indifferent look on his face as he tried to shove the familiar feeling down.

"So, it seems like you two enjoyed your little fight."

"That was amazing!"

Tachikawa and Kushikage looked over to see Maya and Noah standing there.

"Oh. You're that girl with the kid brother, right? Ah. I guess that's a shitty description though."

"Yeah... I'm Tsukiko Amaya. Maya's just fine though."

"Right, right. So, what are two brats doing here anyways? There are tons of open booths."

Maya raised her eyebrow a bit. Compared to the first time they met, Kushikage seemed much more relaxed and calm.

Yuki noticed this too, but said nothing.

"Maya saw Kei in a fight and wanted to see how it would go. Neither of us thought it would last as many rounds as it did though."

"Yeah. Guess we got a bit carried away there," Tachikawa said with a grin.

Yuki had been on good terms with Tachikawa, both their mentors were rivals, so they took after them, but right how he felt like punching that grin off the older's face.

Yuki, with Shobu, as the four started talking about one thing or another. He decided to just head back to the Yagura Branch office. He had asked his younger companion, but was denied. Shobu apparently wanted to find his squad and do some of his own matches.

'Hm. At least I don't have to worry about Mukuro liking anyone.'

* * *

Taiyōko Hoshi was trudging through the Border base. She had just finished up talking with her squad about the recent rank war match, so she had free time on her hands now. She thought about going over to see Border's engineers, but figured she could do something else.

"Let's see... Maybe I could see if someone would be kind enough to have a match with me" she muttered.

She normally didn't reach out for solo matches, mainly because she didn't like fighting outside of what was necessary, earning her less points than she should have. It was rather odd to willingly go over to see if anyone would want to go a few rounds against her. She chalked it up to wanting to gain more skill for the next rounds of the B-Rank war.

She actually felt a bit excited over the idea of fighting by herself. It was out of her usual comfort zone, so it made her heart beat a bit faster. She wasn't sure why, but she felt a sort of rush from thinking about fighting against others. She thought this could be because if the family she was in, and the fact her new squad was sort of known for challenging others so easily that most would hide from them.

'Is this how Kushi-nee usually feels? Oh my...'

Looking at it like this, Hoshi was an owner of troublesome disposition evenly balanced by that of a certain boy. She wondered a bit about the fuss that had been at his side, however.

"Nyowah!?"

Suddenly with a small squeal, she fell to the ground after tripping. She was able to stop herself, using her natural and graceful talent, before hitting the ground.

There were some who witnessed this.

Hoshi put on a civil smile and lowered her head before the startled agents and retreated from there.

'A-am it really that distracted...?'

Inclining her head, she decided that for now, there was nothing she could do to get to a certain incident out of her head. She decided to just head back to the squad's operation room and stay there for a bit

'I think it's a better option than having half-hearted matches... Maybe some time to cool down will be helpful... If I'm lucky, I can talk to Fuji-nee for a while.'

While thinking this, she walked closer to the room, passing the main area first.

Suddenly, from the end of the hall, someone's figure appeared. The figure seemed to be distracted as they were walking from side-to-side like a drunk. Where they drunk? Hoshi narrowed her eyebrows, but as the figure appeared closer to her, her face was stunned by surprise.

It was Wakamura Rokurō.

"Wai-, what are you doing!? Ah! Not to sound rude!"

Hoshi hurriedly rushed up to him. Normally she wouldn't show this reaction. She knew that if was fine to walk through Border, if there was something wrong with that then people would really be stupid. But she was a bit worried by the way he was walking.

"Wakamura-kun? Are you okay? Why are you walking like some drunkard who just finished bar hopping?"

Wakamura, who had his hand to his chin, blinked a few times before seeming to realize he wasn't in the spot he had been a few moments ago. Wherever that was.

"Huh? Taiyōko? This is..."

"This is a hall I need to get through to get to our operation room. Why are you over here? Your own squad's operation room is not in this area."

"I was thinking about something. I guess I got a bit carried away and wandered over here. Last place I remember being was leaving my squad after your match."

Hoshi went a little wide eyed, not only from hearing that he had been there to watch the match. A good amount of time had passed since the match had ended, making it around half an hour or so that he's been in this spaced-out state.

She wanted to say him a few things. The first being what he was thinking about. Others were "I'm so sorry for what I did", "Was it enjoyable?", "It was just a competition between my squad", and the like. These kinds of things quickly made her crouch on the ground with her hands on her face.

"Are _you_ okay? Is your stomach hurting...or something? Do you want me to take you to get checked up?"

Hoshi hated this. She was able to figure out complex things, learn how to use Triggers and regular weapons easily, yet she couldn't deal with simple, normal things. It had clicked in her head that this was most likely due to her upbringing. Her parents were fine, but the general public saw her differently.

Wakamura continued to look at her with a worried expression. He thought that it might have been him that caused Hoshi to act so strangly, but moved that aside to check on her. He could tell that it seemed like she was embarrassed instead of sick, which he was relived to know, but he didn't know of what. He had thought about everything he had said, nothing particularly embarrassing came to mind though.

"Uh... If you're still embarrassed about...what happened..."

Hoshi went wide eyed, yet again. This time for a different reason.

"I know you did it because of some dare or something from Misaki. But don't worry, I'm not mad or anything. Although... It seems you don't really like this. So, for now, why don't we just keep a distance?"

Wakamura stood back up and started to take his leave.

She couldn't accept it.

No matter what, she couldn't.

She got up as well, yet said nothing.

'... ...I see.'

In an unknowing amount of time, she moved her hand to her own chest.

The girl called Taiyōko Hoshi had realized something.

It wasn't anything that had to do with reason or logic or dignity or appearances or shame or reputation, it was just a part of her very own heart, evidently the nucleus of the human Taiyōko Hoshi herself. The wretched, unsightly, selfish, unreasonable - and yet despite all this, honest and frank and "human".

The name of this feeling, Hoshi didn't know. What category it was sorted under, she didn't realize yet. However, today, this day, this time, this moment, Hoshi knew.

Inside her slept an enormous feeling that could easily shake her being. A feeling that could easily destroy any control that one of the family of soldiers had.

Wakamura's back disappeared down the hall.

Hoshi couldn't do anything to stop him.

The reason was not because her spirit had been beaten because of his actions and words.

It was because part of the emotion she had realized pressed against her chest in such a manner that she couldn't move a single finger.

* * *

"Mukuro, never fall in love."

Taiyōko Mukuro stared at his older brother for a few seconds. It wasn't a particular stare that had a lot of emotion behind it. It was just a stare.

Mukuro had decided to make his way back to the Yagura Branch once he left the seating area for the recent B-Rank war match. He was greeted by Pyrínas and Akasora when he got in, but was left alone when Akasora went back to work and Pyrínas left with three children.

Yuki had come back around half an hour after that and took a seat across from his younger brother. The first thing he had said since he walked in, tem minutes ago, was something idiotic about love.

Mukuro was never one for that kind of thing to begin with, but hearing it from his older brother made it sound like he really never wanted to be involved in such a thing. He knew how over protective Yuki could be when it came to their younger sister, but he never thought he would see Yuki act like this with _him_.

It was also weird since Yuki himself was in a, semi-functional, relationship with Mei at the moment. It may have seemed like Yuki didn't want anyone in the family besides himself having a happy life with a significant other. But Mukuro didn't get that kind of feeling from his older brother.

"Don't worry~ I doubt anyone would want to date a walking corpse~"

Mukuro, in some odd fashion and monotone voice, made a joke. He was never one to do that, always being the lazy one to just go with the flow. He himself found it odd that he would even _try_ to make a joke, but waited for some kind of reaction from Yuki.

He raised an eyebrow when Yuki scrunched up his eyebrows. Was that his reaction? Was he even listening? Mukuro really wondered what was going on now. Even as a genius among geniuses, he still didn't know much a both simple things like family and love.

He started thinking about everything he possibly could concerning the current situation, which somehow made him physically tired. After a minute or so something finally clicked.

'Is he...acting like a real older brother...? To _me_?'

Mukuro's childhood with Kushikage and Yuki was a very... _odd_ one. He had always stayed a wake way too long and quickly became an insomniac, only going to sleep when his body couldn't take it anymore. His parents were worried about this, but his siblings seemed more worried.

Kushikage and Yuki would always try to "put him to sleep" by using odd, and mostly violent, methods, such as hitting his head with a hammer, throwing him to the ground with a large amount of force, or even suffocating him. Their parents were horrified by this, even as soldiers, and had always tried to keep the two older siblings away from their younger one. Mukuro was fine with it though. He knew they were doing it out of genuin kindness and worry for him, they just went about it the wrong way.

He never hated them for it, and instead he tried to ease their parents' worries.

"Mukuro..."

Another odd thing going on. Yuki actually called him by his name _twice in a row_!

"Sigh... Tsk."

It was really hard to tell what Yuki was feeling right now.

"Alright. I think I've figured it out. ... You _can_ get girlfriend, or boyfriend, your choice... _But!_ I... I just approve of them!"

"Does that apply to the other two as well?"

He had added Kushikage into the mix in order to test something out. His answer was a perfect one that he didn't even think was possible.

"... Yes..."

Yuki muttered under his breath as he crossed his arms like a child and pouted.

"I have to approve of everyone..."

Mukuro really wanted to smile at this point, maybe even laugh. He found this entertaining since Yuki had been the first one to get a partner, yet he never asked them if they approved. Which they did.

He felt weird about talking to Yuki like this. His older brother had clearly put up a _very large_ wall between him, Mukuro himself, and Kushikage, so speaking like this was really odd for him. Although... He did like it.

"Alright. But on one condition."

"?"

"I'm allowed to call you Nii-chan~"

Yuki jumped in his seat before turning to glare at Mukuro, who had a smirk in place.

"Screw that! Be happy I'm even letting you call me 'Kiyo-nii', you damn corpse!"

Mukuro laughed.

Yuki was a bit surpsied by this. He didn't think Mukuro was capable of having any other expression, besides his usual dead-like one.

After muttering something again, Yuki had decided.

"I hate family."

* * *

QOTC: Who is your favorite Taiyōko member?

* * *

Kushikage Taiyōko

Attacker

\- 20 Years Old

\- Oct. 31

\- Chronos, Blood Type A

\- Height: 6'0"

\- Likes: Annoying Mei, Hot and Spicy things

Yuki Tsukiko

All-Rounder

\- 18 Years Old

\- Born Sept. 27

\- Chronos, Blood Type AB

\- Height: 5'7"

\- Likes: Snow, Foxes, Ice cream

Mukuro Taiyōko

All-Rounder

\- 17 Years Olds

\- Born Sep. 13

\- Lupus, Blood Type AB

\- Height: 5'5"

\- Likes: Sleeping, Peanuts, Vanilla

Hoshi Taiyōko

All-Rounder

\- 15 Years Old

\- Born Oct. 14

\- Luna Falcata, Blood Type AB

\- Height: 5'4"

\- Likes: Friends, Her siblings, Making new friends

* * *

 **Well, there's a disgusting filler for you all.**


	49. Toby Awdry: Part 3

**Chapter 49:** Toby Awdry: Part 3

* * *

"Speak life~ Speak life~"

Toby happily sang in a low voice as he walked through the Border base. It had been a while since his squad's recent match had ended, and a while since he had a good fight. He had enjoyed the ones he had been in during the match, but now he had nothing to do. The C Ranks, having seen how good his Side Effect is in recent matches, decided that they didn't want to fight him.

He had already been (kindly) rejected by multiple agents stating that his Side Effect was "something I don't feel like losing too", so Toby took it as it was. He had gone to some of the people who he would usually fight against, but they each had an excuse. A few of the B-Ranks seemed to be busy with something, Kageura was nowhere to be found, and Midorikawa had quickly been taken away Yoneya.

He didn't mind (too much), so he just decided to fight against anyone willing to fight him. He had wanted to fight against Scorpion users first, but didn't want to be picky when hardly anyone even went up to him at this point.

"Hm~ Hm~ Hm~ Maybe I should just find out who our next opponents are~ I kinda wanna go up against Osamu's squad, but now that Noah's squad is in the top tier... Sigh~ The odd of us going against both of them is a bit low~"

Toby stopped for a second. He could hear a small sound that continued to get closer. It was easy to tell that the sound was small steps that were rapidly approaching. He could also tell the general height of the person from how fast the steps were coming and how small they sounded. He was a genius after all.

He quickly turned around, lowered his body so that he was in the stance a sumo wrestler would take before a fight started, his arms were outstretched as well. He braced himself for the impact that quickly came and slammed into his body. He wasn't in his Trion body so he gave a grunt, but he still held his ground.

He looked down to see exactly what he expected. A small child with golden blond hair with a similar face as his own, just a bit younger. The two did have many differences besides their age through. While Toby had hair more in the wild side, the child's hair seemed more tame. While the child's clothing looked more pristine and formal, Toby's was casual and had a few holes from constant use.

Toby quickly got an idiot grin on his face as he lifted his younger brother high in the air, earning delighted giggles from the child. He brought the blond down and fix their position so that Toby was holding him with his right arm.

"(So, how's the lil' bluebell doing~?)"

"(Great! I watched your awesome fight! I was going over to see Pyrínas with Michelle and Mitsu! Father stopped me from going though. He said that he needed me for a little bit.)"

Toby resisted the urge to frown at hearing this. He knew how much his younger brother loved playing around with the two other young ones and autonomous Trion soldier that took residence in the Yagura Branch.

He also knew when his brother was lying.

"(Step, what happened when you talked to...Henry?)"

Stepney's gaze quickly fell to the ground as he fidgeted a bit. He hated troubling other, always being the one to want to help out. So telling his older brother this wasn't something he wanted to do. But he knew that Toby wouldn't relent.

A heavy silence fell onto the two. It didn't last long though since Toby let out a sigh.

Lifting his arm, Toby continued to grin as he moved his arm across his body. He put his hand on Stepney's stomach and started tickling him.

Stepney wasn't able to withstand the onslaught of tickles, so his childish laughter was unavoidable. The sound rang out through the hall, getting Toby to start laughing as well.

"Do you have to be so loud? Why do you even have a child with you?"

Toby stops his "torture" of his little brother and let out a small sigh as he turned around to see Katori standing there. The two hardly ever talked to each other, so this was rather odd. Toby knew that Hoshi had gotten rather close to Katori Squad's Gunner, but he didn't think that was much of a reason for the captain to just suddenly start talking to him.

Katori gave a small look at Stepney, who had been trying to calm down from the laughing. She recognized him as one if the children that had been behind her squad as they watched Kotowari Squad's latest match.

"So, whatcha want? A fight? That'd be nice~"

"Why does everything go straight to a fight with you?"

"Meh. It's fun to mess around when I have the chance. Between these rank war matches and defense duty, it's fun to play instead of worrying about 'official' stuff. I just leave that to Take and Mei.

"And they complain about me..."

"What was that?"

"I had to pass by here. You and that kid were being too loud, so I thought I'd shut you up."

"Oh. Well, do you wanna go a round or two? We've never fought before, so it would actually be pretty cool to go against you."

Katori looked back at Toby with scrunched up eyebrows. She had a look that seemed disgusted, but at the same time just annoyed.

"Heck no. Dealing with your Side Effect is troublesome enough. Now that you have Viper and Chameleon, there's no way I would wanna deal with that hassle. Besides, you've become way too defensive in your fighting."

"Hm? I already had Mei take off Viper and Scorpion though. And what do you mean I've become 'too defensive'?"

Katori wasn't sure what to really think right now, so she just sighed. She could see from Toby's tilted head that he genuinely didn't realize the changes in his fighting style, but she didn't want to explain it. She looked over at the child on his arms and saw he had a similar look to his older brother.

She couldn't resist this idiotic (and admittedly cute) duo and their confused looks.

"Urg. Your Side Effect saves you from almost any attacks directed at you. But now you have that annoying little girl's prototype Triggers that send attacks back at the person. You go in for attacks _after_ you see it's safe enough to do that."

It was Toby's turn to scrunch up his eyebrows. He had been told, by multiple people, that he was always so forceful and wild whenever he was fighting. He had always kept things simple with just Scorpion and Teleport. True, he _had_ changed it up a bit with the special Teleport that Yuki helped him with, as well as adding Shield and Starlight, but he only ever used them in dire situations, or in Starlights case to help improve it.

As he thought more about it, what Katori was saying was a bit true. He had used Teleport and the Shield-Starlight combo when he wanted to keep away or block for minimum damage. He had used this together with his naturally fast movements with Scorpion for his fights. He had started getting use to this kind of fighting to the point of forgetting about his former use of Scorpion for his special moves like Hedgehog and Porcupine.

That was when something clicked in his head.

'My own style... True, using Hedgehog and Porcupine were unique, but I would usually just attack, swinging any sort of weapon around... Not much of a style. I always feel uncomfortable using Shooter Triggers, and hate that I copied Minoru in the last match...'

Toby went wide eyed as he shot his head to the side, looking at his younger brother.

"(Hey, Step! Where would you love to see blades come from!? What body part!?)"

"(Huh? ... Oh! Arms! Make them pop out from your arms, so you can fight like a ninja!)"

"(Wah! Leave it to my lil' bluebell to come up with something so awesome!)"

Katori stared with a confused (and slightly freaked out) look as Toby and Stepney spoke on English. She gave the freaked out look because when they were done talking, Toby had started nuzzling Stepney with a grin.

She was about to take her leave, realizing that she really had to interest in being there, but had been stopped when a hand landed on her shoulder. She knew who it was from, but she didn't want to turn around to see the idiotic grin of the brunet behind her.

She didn't have time to say or do anything though as Toby grabbed onto her wrist and started pulling her. They were both now running towards the booths while Toby held his younger brother in his arms.

"Since you're here, (and since I don't have the time to get Ai), you'll he be partner for a bit! Sorry! (I'll repay you at some point!) Let's go! Hurry, hurry, hurry!"

Katori had a bit of trouble trying to understand the quickly spoken English and slightly broken Japanese. She wanted to pull her arm back and walk away right then and there but Toby seemed to have a death grip on her wrist, preventing her from doing anything from running - along with tricking and stumbling.

* * *

 _"Sorry about this! But also thanks! I'll super owe you for this! I really, really,_ really _want to try this out! You're also a great person for the job!"_

"Tsk. Flattery really won't get you anywhere. You dragged me all the way here and _almost literally_ threw me into the booth! Damn right you owe me!"

Katori gave an annoyed sigh as she stood in one of the booths, waiting for Toby to get ready. She had been forced into this situation, there was no way she wasn't going to go all out. She didn't care if he wanted "test something out", she would try her best to beat him down.

She already knew his weakness from the recent match he had been in, so that was what she planned on doing. She would put a large amount of pressure on him to the point that she would he able to get passed his Side Effect and win.

'I'll make sure to embarrass him in front of his little brother while I'm at it. Next time he shouldn't drag others into things they didn't want to do!'

She felt it. She felt the anger rising in her. While with Hoshi she felt more annoyance than anything, right how, with Toby, she was angry. She wasn't the type to take kindly to being forced into something, so of course she would be pissed with Toby. She did have to give Kitora and Kotowari Squad props for dealing the the brunet though.

 _"Alright! Let's get this started!"_

"It's about damn time."

* * *

The two were sent into the virtualized area that was made up of an urban setting. Once they were both set, they went into action.

Toby grinned as he disappeared from sight.

Katori used Grasshopper to fly into the sky.

Toby had appeared more to the left of where Katori had once stood. He knew she would use Grasshopper to escape his first attack, but he had a one-in-five chance of getting the direction right. He had chosen wrong, but that didn't stop him in the slightest.

Katori on the other hand sped toward him, Grasshoppers placed on a few areas. She quickly appeared near him, gun in hand and Scorpion on her arm. She moved to strike with the blade, but missed when he used Teleport.

She used one of the Grasshoppers to move where he reappeared (she noticed with direction his eyes moved), pulled out her gun, and fired Asteroid in his direction.

Toby's Side Effect kicked in, forcing him to twist his body so that the shots wouldn't reach him.

He noticed Katori coming towards him again, but instead of using Teleport, he brought out a Scorpion blade, mimicking the one Katori had on her own arm. He moved forward and trained bladed blows with Katori while also dodging the shots of Asteroid.

He could feel the pressure starting to appear as Katori moved with quick moves that didn't waste too much space, keeping him trapped a bit. It was evident to him now just how skilled she was, and how she had quickly become a master level fighter. Although, that wouldn't slow him down in the slightest.

He felt so happy right now.

Seeing his change when Katori switched guns, Toby moved forward once again, this time a Scorpion blade coming from his left arm, the right armed one now gone. He made for an attack at her head, but missed when she moved back.

He grinned as he moved forward again, arm still in place, making it seem like he wanted to run her through.

Katori knew there was something else to this than just running forward and hoping for a hit. She got ready to a Teleport, and also kept track to make sure no markers had been placed on her for a special Teleport.

"...!"

What she wasn't expecting was multiple blades springing from Toby's arm, continually retracting then shooting out.

She moved back and fired a few shots. She missed when he used Teleport.

Toby appeared above and behind Katori, right arm out with the retracting and springing blades coming from his arm. He continued to move forward, dodging the shots, while he skillfully moved from slashes to kicks with blades popping out and retracting at a rapid pace that Katori couldn't keep up with.

Katori clicked her tongue as she continued to gain new scratches. It wasn't one-sided through since she had manged to shoot Toby with a few shots as well, almost matching th about if cuts she had. She placed Grasshopper out, sending Toby flying into the air while another sent her flying back.

'This guy...! So he uses a mix of destroying and creating new blades while using Hedgehog/Porcupine... Leave it to this idiot to do something so irritating!'

Katori looked at Toby as she moved to keep her distance.

'On the other hand... That must take up a lot of Trion. There's no way her can keep this up for much longer. I just need to hold off until he runs out.'

Even with that being her best option at the moment, Katori couldn't actually bring herself to do it. She felt that she would be even more mad if she won like that. She wanted to have an actual victory over Toby, to hold it over him that he had lost in their very first battle. She wouldn't be able to feel satisfied if she won just because he was an idiot who didn't keep track of how much Trion he was using.

She started getting more mad at Toby now, for making her want that kind of victory. She had maintained her focus in the fight, but she still felt angry at him. She had heard multiple things about him and his fighting, all good things like "He's so fun to fight~", "You always feel so energized during and after fights with him!", as well as "I want to go another round, but someone else took him away!" She had never cared about those kinds of things, but now that she was here, fighting him in their first match, she could understand a bit of how they felt.

Katori could now tell that he was the type of person who enjoyed any fight he was in, unless it held some sort of malice in it, and she hates that. She knew that he was the type of person to try hard, but she also knew he had talent. That sort of combination got her a bit frustrated, since she herself felt that once a limit had been reach that there would be no way beyond it. Then there was the fact he was able to get her to feel like winning in a "fair" way.

She had fallen into a trap. It was a trap like the one Osamu had set up during their rank war match. No. This trap was much more simple. Much more unnoticeable than those wires that had given her and her squad so much trouble. This trap when by the name of "Toby Awdry".

As she moved around the area, using walls, poles, and any other things as a springboard, Katori continued to attack with moves that proved her skill was real. She contined to show that she was able to gain a win over Toby, someone who had an almost unfair Side Effect. She continued to put pressure on him, so much so that he actually seemed to be slowing down.

Katori knew that Toby was quickly running out of Trion, so she moved to deliver the finishing blow.

Toby had appeared in the air after using Teleport, but didn't have side as his Side Effect activated, making him twist his body again to dodge the shots coming from the ground. He tried to fix his stance in the air, but didn't have enough time.

Katori was already there, a few inches away from him, Scorpion at the ready.

Not wanting to go out without resistance, Toby shot out a blade from his side.

Katori clicked her tongue as the blade cut off her arm. She didn't give it a second thought as she moved forward and quickly took off Toby's head.

 **Bail Out**

* * *

 _"Gah! So damn close! You wanna go another round!? Please!?"_

"Hell no. Screw off already."

Even thought she said such harsh words, Katori really put any sort of malice in her voice. In all actuality she wanted to at least make a best two out of three match, but held back. She didn't want to get more ensnared in the trap known as "Toby Awdry".

She heard a sigh from the other end and figured that was Toby's way of calling it quites for now.

She herself was a bit relieved, as well as a bit sad (although she would never admit it), that he hadn't pushed the situation any more into another fight. She figured it was better for her though, so she said nothing as she exited the booth.

He looked down to see that Toby was already on the first floor.

'Did he really jump from up here in his real body?'

She walked up to him as he looked like he was panicking. That's when she noticed that a certain golden blond haired children was no longer there. She had remembered Toby telling him to sit down and watch them fight.

"Crap! Crap! (Crap!)"

There he goes again, changing languages. Katori hated that she couldn't understand him now.

"(Hey! Lil' bluebell! Where are you!? Stepney! Don't play hide-and-seek in here!)"

Katori, out of pure curiosity... Yeah! Just because she was curious! Nothing else! Well, _out of curiosity_ , she looked around to see if she could spot the young child somewhere. She didn't seem him, but she saw some of the other agents giving Toby and odd look.

She sent small glares to the ones who were looking over, as if to say "Mind your own business, nosy bastards."

She heard a pair of steps getting closer to them, so she looked over. She saw Kitora walking up to them, but said nothing (and was most certainly not because she was disappointed that it wasn't Stepney).

"Hey, Toby. If you're yelling for your brother, he was with your father. I saw them walking by while I made my way over here."

Katori noticed that Kitora seemed a bit stiff (more so than usual) when she spoke to Toby. Rather, she got stiff when she mentioned the brunet's father.

Toby quickly turned around to Kitora, getting both girls thinking that he would get whiplash from the quick movement. The brunet didn't seem to care about those kinds of things as he quickly hounded Kitora about which direction the two had gone.

Kitora gave him the answer, almost in a hurried tone.

It didn't take more than 5 seconds for Toby to start running.

Katori was a bit curious (just a bit!) about what was going on. She could make a few guesses, but didn't come to any conclusions. And she'd rather fight Toby again than ask Kitora for the information.

Kitora on the other hand simply let out a sigh.

"He has way too much energy."

* * *

By the time Toby caught up with the two he was panting and he could feel the sweat on his body. He made a mental note to go into his Trion body before running like that again.

Henry stood in front of him, usual expressionless face on and superior aura all around him. He seemed to be standing in front of Stepney, who was looking at the ground with a red mark on his cheek.

Once Toby noticed the mark he tightened his fists and glared up at Henry, refusing to stand down in the slightest. He could see that Henry looked rather mad right now, which was something that only he, and a handful of others, would be able to actually tell.

"What do you want? We have a busy schedule that does not involve dealing with a child like you who does not even understand proper manners. Leave and go back to your barbaric fights, Tobias."

Toby let out a sigh before turning to Stepney.

"(Hey, lil' bluebell, cover your ears and eyes for a sec, 'kay?)"

He tried his hardest to keep his voice down and calm. It seemed to work as Stepney did as he was told and called his eyes while placing his hands to his ears.

Henry slightly raised an eyebrow at this.

"What? Are you going to fi-"

"(Shut the fuck up, you sack of shit!)" Toby yelled out as he stuck his middle finger right to Henry's face. "(You hit Stepney again and I swear that beat the shit out of you! I don't give a damn about your position! I don't care if I'm stuck in some cell for the rest of my life! Hitting me is one thing, but Step is just a child! You _do not_ hit a child! _Especially_ of he is my younger brother!)"

Henry's expression at this point was a mix between shock and, what Toby would classify as, absolute rage. He refused to be told this sort of thing by how own child, but he couldn't say anything in return. He could see that Toby felt too strongly about this, to the point of him actually being able to go through with his threat right then and there if needed.

Toby on the other hand seemed to be going on pent up emotions than actual thoughts. He knew his voice had gone beyond what he intended, but he didn't seem to care right now. He said what he wanted, and he was happy with the results.

He seemed to he cooling down though as he went to just glaring at Henry.

"Get out of here already. I want to talk to Stepney for a sec."

Henry opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off. It wasn't by Toby though, it was by a new voice.

"Do not worry. We'll make sure your son gets back to you once their conversation is done."

Kitora stood there, arms behind her back. She held the aura of a professional that most saw on TV.

Katori was also there, next to Kitora, but she had her phone out with a bored look. Toby had to wonder what she was doing there.

"... Very well."

With those small and simple words, Henry took his leave. Althought his anger was still there, carefully hidden so as to keep his appearance.

"Thanks, Ai."

Kitora let out a sigh as she rubbed the bridge of her nose. She turned to Toby and gave a small nod before moving back a bit, pulling Katori with her.

Toby walked towards Stepney, who still had his eyes closed and hands to his ears. He lightly tapped the golden blond haired boy on the head as he crouched down so that they were at almost at eye level.

"(Hey, Step, it's fine. You'll have to go with that... With _Henry_ once we're done talking, but until then, I want to talk to you some more. Although I think big sis Ai over there might get mad if we go on for too long.)"

Stepney gave a small nod as he looked up, tears threatening to fall. The mark on his cheek still stung, but that wasn't why his eyes got watery.

"(When father said he was busy... It's because we're going back to America. I want to stay here with you, so I can play with Michelle, Mitsu, and Pyrínas more, but I can't, can I?)"

Toby really felt hitting something right now, while also wanting to just hug his brother and not let go. He did neither of those things. Instead he gave a small, but sad, smile.

"(Right. I would love to have you here, but... It really is better for you over there. I can't take care of both of us. Well, maybe if I get rid of Takeshi, but I really can't do that either, so... For now, you need to stay with them. But! Don't be _like_ them, okay? When I see you again, I want you to be the same lil' bluebell as always, got it?)"

Stepney nodded again. He understood exactly what Toby was saying. He knew that he really should stay with their parents, no matter how hard that was going to be.

That still didn't make him feel any better though. He knew that once he was out of Toby's sight that he would get punished for this. He would still live with their parent's tyrannical authority. He would still have to go through all the tough learning to take over one, if not bother, their companies. He was a smart child, way smarter than any 5-year-old.

As he wiped his eyes, Stepney could feel something on his head. He felt something fuzzy touching his cheeks. When he looked up he saw that he could now see Toby's hair, in all of its semi-wild glory. He felt his older brother's hand land on his head while the brunet grinned.

"(Keep this safe for me, okay? It's _really, really, reaaaaaalllly_ important. Since it's so important, I can only leave it to someone I _really, really, reaaaaaaallllllly_ trust. Heh heh~ You can even show it off to others if you want.)"

It seemed that all Stepney could do was nod his head since he didn't open his mouth. He just grabbed the flaps on the side of the hat and rapidly nodded his head.

"(Good. Now then. If either one if those two hurt you, just give me a call. I'll be over in the blink of an eye and beat them up good, 'kay? Just leave everything to your big bro! At least when it comes to fights!)"

"(Right! Because big bro is super awesome!)" Stepney gave a watery smile as he spoke.

.

Off to the side, Kitora could hear Katori fake gagging. She elbowed the older girl on the side, not that it hurt or anything.

"Bleh! I think my teeth are rotting into just by watching this."

"Why _are_ you even here? I came by to help these two out, but you really have no reason. None that I know of at least."

"That's not really any of your business, now is it? I just thought I could get some entertainment from this, but I was wrong. This is just some drama you see on TV."

"Oh yeah? Then why is your phone's screen locked?"

"..."

Katori clicked her tongue as she turned around.

Kitora gave a semi-smug look as she heard Katori started to walk away while muttering something under her breath. It was hard to actually hear what she has said, but it sounded like something familiar that she herself had said before.

"Leaving things like this to someone like him is never a good thing. He really should be glad he has people like us watching out for him."

* * *

QOTC: Do you have any siblings? If so, 1-10 with 1 being hate them and 10 being love them.

* * *

 **What...the hell did I just make...? I am so sorry! Is it just me or do these chapters keep getting worse and worse!? I AM SO SORRY! What makes things worse is that I suck at touching moments the most! Gah! Oh, and Toby and Katori will _not_ be together or anything. In case you were wondering...**

 **Speaking if which... Small thing I noticed while making this chapter, Katori and Kitora have their "a" and "i" switched on their names. You all probably noticed that already but I just did, so...yeah.**

 **... Sigh. I still hope you enjoyed at least** ** _some_** **of this though...**

 **Until next time... See ya.**


	50. Yuki Tsukiko: Part 4

**Chapter 50:** Yuki Tsukiko: Part 4

* * *

Murakami Kou liked to think that the choices on his life were well made. For the most part. He was a nice guy who held the image most would consider the "cool and mysterious type". For the most part. Even when kids would stop playing with him when he was younger - due to his Side Effect - he would just act like a normal kid and get sad over it. That stopped as he grew up. More so because of others that got use to him.

So why then, he wondered, did he have such _interesting_ friends now that he was in his last year of high school. His former mentor, and still friend, Arafune Tetsuji couldn't swim and had a dislike (note: _a fear_ ) of dogs. One of his classmates, and still friend, Kageura Masato had a rough exterior with a troublesome, but useful Side Effect. And then there was his other classmate, and still friend, Tsukiko Yuki. He was in an odd case since he...

"Idiooooooot! A simple-minded airhead, such as yourself, wouldn't understand what it takes to use a Trigger like Idōgetsu like I do. Just go back to jumping around in that cosplay uniform of yours."

He was an odd case since his appearance and personality were complete opposites.

Murakami let out a sigh and shook his head as he watched the A-Rank and B-Rank glare at each other. From the corner of his eye he could see Kageura silently rooting for their friend while Yuma had his head turned with a duck face plastered onto his face.

'Does Sensei know he's here...?'

The three standing and watching, among the many around them, had met up as planned so they could go a few rounds with each other. Before they could actually go to the booths, which were just a few feet away, they had heard the current argument start up.

When they had seen the two start to go at it, Kageura and Murakami thought the same thing,

'Pull him away now or wait for someone else...'

The two who were both classmates and friend with Yuki knew that there were only a handful of people who could actually get him to stop fighting with the #1 B-Rank captain without much violence. They were two of those handful.

Kuga Yuma, the last one of the three, only wondered what was going on. He hadn't seen Yuki the way he currently is, nor had he seen Ninomiya this agitated. Granted, he hardly saw the two of them as it was.

Murakami breathed through his nose and started to walk forward.

* * *

Ninomiya Masataka glared at his #1 enemy. He couldn't remember how their argument had started but he was going to make sure he won. He knew that Minoru wasn't around, so there was no one to interrupt them without some bruises being made.

"There is nothing to know about your simple Trigger. You spin it and make crude weapons to fight with. _Plus,_ it's easy to tell, even for a beginner, how you use it with Teleport. You only ever change tactics when you use your Side Effect. Which adds to your list as a faker."

"I'd rather be a faker than a simpleton who is cosplaying and doesn't even know it. Really, out of everybody in Border, you're squad is the one who looks like they're trying to copy some British spy from a movie they watched. While the rest of use look _normal,_ you look like an overly enthusiastic _fan_."

There wasn't something that others could use to figure out who was actually winning the argument. To everyone else these two skilled Border agents just looked like children who couldn't get along.

Among the many people watching one walked towards them. He would admit that he was a bit embarrassed for his friend while also wondering just how the two agents before him could turn so immature in a few nanoseconds of being near each other.

"Kiyoshi, you should stop. If you don't them I _will_ call over Shitokei-senpai."

Murakami froze for a second. It took a few seconds for his mind to register what he had just said and wondered where that came from. He had threatened Yuki before with Mei, but he hadn't called them by their real first or last names in a long time.

After taking that second to get over what he said, Murakami noticed that Yuki had a sour expression as he faced Murakami.

Murakami's threat seemed to work as Yuki tried to not look anywhere in Ninomiya's direction. He looked just as immature as before, looking like a child who had gotten in trouble, but wasn't arguing anymore. That's all Murakami had hoped for.

"You got lucky Murakami was here to bail you out."

It seemed that Ninomiya had one more comment left in him.

Which also started the argument back up.

"Was that a joke? Ha! The simple-minded, idiotic **airhead** can actually make a joke! I never thought the day would come! At least this disproves my theory that you're just some failed robot experiment that a middle schooler made."

"If anyone is defective then that would be you. You can't even decide on what personality you want. Not to mention you can't come up with any original moves. You have to borrow moves from others. Just like a copycat and a **faker**."

That was all that needed to be said for Murakami to know what was coming up next.

Kageura also seemed to know what was going on as he made sure Yuma didn't get to close to the three.

"Alright! That's it! Get your fu-... Get in the booth so I can show you some _real_ fighting! Let's see if you're stronger than the humanoid Neighbors I've had to face so far!"

Ninomiya twitched.

"Fine! It's time we get over this tie! I will show you that there's no way you will be able to catch back up to me! I'll make sure your are filled with holes! ... Correction! I'll make sure to obliterate you!"

Like two divas from an idiotic American reality show, Tsukiko Yuki and Ninomiya Masataka headed for two empty booths that were a few feet away.

This left Murakami to stand there, sighing to his heart's content.

"Damn. That was the worst and most heated one yet."

Murakami turned around and saw Kageura and Yuma walking up to him. While Kageura seemed like his usual self, Yuma still looked rather confused.

"Are those two always like that?"

"Yeah. They have some history together. A history we can't tell you for the sake of our safety. But let's just say that you shouldn't never get within a few feet if them while they have one of their arguments. You may end up as collateral."

Yuma gave a slight hum as he watched the two who just left go into the booths. He had seen Ninomiya in action during the B-Rank Wars, and heard a few things from the recent invasion. He hadn't seen Yuki fight at all, at least not in person, but he did hear things about him concerning the two most recent invasions that have happened.

"He was on TV... I think."

"Yeah, once." Murakami was the one to speak up again. "He was on TV to promote the new branch that was made - the Yagura Branch. He doesn't fight much in solo matches, at least not anymore. That being said, the press had wanted to see just how good he was since he had appeared as the only member of the branch, at the time."

"The people from the press were forced to shut up about him when he took on the challenge and went against a hundred different Trion soldiers." This time it was Kageura who spoke. "He was _suppose_ to work with Arashiyama Squad to take them out, but he went ahead and took them all put himself."

Yuma tried his best to remember it. He couldn't remember seeing the fight against a hundred Trion soldiers, but he did remember hearing something about it from his senpais in Tamakoma.

"It happened three days after the second invasion."

That was what made it click for Yuma. During that time he had been busy and didn't see it. He had heard about the new branch that had been made, but nothing concerning it or its members.

"Well, what those two do doesn't matter now. Let's just get to our own fights."

"You two go ahead and start. I'm going to see how this fight goes."

Kageura gave Murakami an odd look. "Why? You know nothing's gonna chance with those two. They'll probably just keep going until they end up with a tie again. By that point Shitokei will be here and dragging him away."

Murakami knew that it actually wouldn't turn out that way. He had a front row seat to their argument, so he knew that the two were serious in breaking their tie once and for all. Even as one of Yuki's best friends he wanted to see this fight as an unbias observer.

Kageura seemed to notice this and just clicked his tongue. He grabbed Yuma by the collar and started pulling him towards two open booths.

"Fine. But if we get done and I end up being right, you owe me."

* * *

"Hey, Airhead, I'll make you a deal."

 _"A deal? Knowing you... It won't be a fair one that I can win."_

Yuki rolled his eyes when he heard that. Whether it was past or present, Yuki wasn't the type of person to go around throwing out bets and dares. He would take chances at times, but nothing particularly harmful for others.

He knew that Ninomiya didn't trust him as far as he could throw him - especially since they wouldn't ever touch each other - so he could understand the older one's thoughts. But there was no proof of Yuki ever giving unfair deals or bets.

"Just listen, jackass. If I can chop off your arms and head using original moves, I win. If you can shoot me full of holes that gives a cheese shredder a run for its money, you win."

 _"... And what does the winner get for this?"_

Yuki smirked. He knew what it took to get the simple-minded Ninomiya going.

"The winner gets to give three requests to the loser. Of course they have to be reasonable ones, and within the loser's power to do."

No one could say that Yuki was unfair when he gave such a fair deal to his most hated enemy. Even said enemy wouldn't have something to say in that situation.

 _"Fine. Now then... Get ready to do what I say."_

"Not even in your dreams."

* * *

As Yuki and Ninomiya entered the virtual room, Murakami noticed the small differences in Yuki's outfit. He hadn't noticed before since he had been too busy trying to stop the two fighting from clawing at each other's throats.

These chances were very minor. If Murakami wasn't one of Yuki's best friends and knew what every inch of the other's outfit looked like he would have never noticed. These changes included wrappings around Yuki's wrists and ankles, as well as his neck. He also had a belt that had a small holster for Idōgetsu on the back of his hip - it seemed to swing with every movement.

"He must have added those changes to adapt to his new fighting style. He's taking a hint from his sisters with that holster, but otherwise still keeps his own appearance."

The final thing Murakami had to narrow his eyes to see.

"Are those..."

On the back of Yuki's gray jacket were numbers inside of the Border emblem. The numbers that were in there were five, seven and eight. Those numbers didn't hold any particular meaning to most, but to Murakami, who knew what Yuki had been up to lately, it did hold meaning.

"This guy is too much of a hassle at times..."

* * *

Ninomiya and Yuki stared at each other. It had been a full minute since the fight started, but the two just stood there. Ninomiya had his arms out, ready to fire at any moment. Yuki lowered his hips and had his hand ready to grab Idōgetsu at any time.

The two were doing something rather simple, yet somewhat decisive. They were determining who would make the first move and expose their method of attacking.

Yuki shifted his feet on the ground, as if determining how well his feet gripped the ground. After confirming that he wouldn't slide too much if he moved quickly, Yuki tapped his foot on the ground. Once. Twice. Three times. He repeated this action with his other foot.

.

Ninomiya narrowed his eyes when he saw his opponent shift his feet on the ground. He brought out two two cubes of Trion and split them up into prickly triangles, letting them float around him. He was wary about what Yuki would try. He was tapping the ground. For no apparent reason after all.

'He will either run forward to get my attention before using Teleport to appear behind me... Orhe will run forward and appear in front of me so that I won't be able to react in time. Either way, I'll be ready to blast him full of holes.'

These were the usual methods Yuki started a fight. At least against Ninomiya. It was one of the three ways these two started a match.

The first way was Yuki appearing in front or behind Ninomiya and going for his head or mid-section.

The second way was Ninomiya letting out a bombardment of Hound to keep Yuki at a distance.

The third was having both of them just start attacking each other, trying to push the other into a certain area of attack.

Ninomiya was prepared for all three options. He would have his prickly Trion triangles float mostly around his front and back in case the first way was how they started.

He would have a good amount of those same prickly Trion triangles off to the side for the second way.

He would launch all of those prickly Trion triangles to start off the third way.

'Now come on. Prove that I'm right. Prove that absolutely nothing changes with you.'

Ninomiya was ready. He would defend against way one. He would chase with way two. He would attack with way three.

But he didn't expect a fourth way to rear its head in this fight.

.

Yuki made the first move.

He didn't attack by using Teleport to appear in front or behind Ninomiya. He made a much simpler move that looked very odd to every person who were to see it.

He threw his shoe.

With a good kick, Yuki's right shoe flew through the air. It's target was obvious - Ninomiya Masataka.

It didn't take any effort for Ninomiya to dodge the weak attack.

'Teleport.'

In an instant, Yuki appeared behind Ninomiya. He could see his opponent was still moving back into position front the Shoe Attack, so he decided to take this opportunity to attack.

It was the same as before. Instead of going for the Trion weapon known as Idōgetsu hanging from the back of his hip, Yuki kicked his left shoe at Ninomiya's head.

It was dodged again.

This time, however, Ninomiya attacked by using Hound.

Yuki quickly used Teleport to appear back at the spot he started at.

"What are you doing? I don't know if you're trying to insult me, or if you just aren't trying, but I won't stand for such pathetic attempts at attacking!"

It wasn't Yuki's plan to anger Ninomiya - that came naturally. His plan was much simpler, and much more effective.

Yuki turned his head to the right, an obvious move that showed what he was planning to do next.

.

Ninomiya quickly fired Hound towards both the left and the right.

He turned just in time to see Yuki land on top of a building. That same building was quickly destroyed by his shots.

Ninomiya was now defenseless for a good five seconds. Those five seconds could easily be used by someone as skilled as Yuki, but that was what Ninomiya wanted.

He had planned on sacrificing an arm to launch a full on assault against Yuki once he appeared.

As he waited for that moment when his opponent would appear, Ninomiya noticed something odd.

Yuki appeared on the opposite side of where he teleported from.

Yuki hadn't used his chance to attack. It did seem like an obvious trap, but the odds of it happening were still rather high. Yuki had gotten to know how Ninomiya thought through these fights. Ninomiya had gotten to know how Yuki thought through these fights.

It was obvious to Ninomiya that Yuki would use his chance to attack.

'Regardless, I have other methods. Just because he didn't take this chance doesn't mean he's changed much.'

As if reading his thoughts, Yuki went into action.

It just wasn't the action Ninomiya thought.

.

Yuki ran on light feet.

As soon as his his toes touched the ground he was already on to his next step. Having to deal with any future pain wasn't a problem since it was a Trion body.

He had already set his plan in motion. Even when he saw Ninomiya start firing Hound, he didn't give up on this plan. True, he became acutely aware of Idōgetsu, which was dangling behind him, but he didn't grab it.

He didn't make any move to use Teleport to escape, nor did he make any move to deflect the shots with the large wrecking-ball like form Idōgetsu was capable of - Mangetsu.

It was all odd.

It was _original._

* * *

"That's odd. He never goes for speed. His selling point is his proficiency in Teleport. He's much better at it than Arashiyama and even Sensei."

He didn't know when, but Murakami started muttering commentary to himself. He would point different things out in the short fight he was watching. One of those things happened to be how Yuki was moving.

If Murakami had to give two major differences between Yuki and Mei - who worked off each other - he would say that Mei was more into speed and power. Yuki on the other hand was for feints and sneak attacks. In a sense, it was like Mei fought more in an honorable samurai style while Yuki had ninja-like moves.

Seeing Yuki use general speed instead of his best asset was odd in many ways. Murakami was one of the few people who knew Yuki best, so he knew that Yuki would sooner go back to using Kōgetsu than using speed.

As he thought more about this he noticed something else.

"... He's kicking up dust. He's circling around and kicking up dust. Even if he uses that as a smokescreen, it won't work. He still attacks in his usual way, so it's obvious where he'll go."

There was an important fact that seemed to escape Murakami's mind - ironically enough. That fact was that Yuki was from a family of real life soldiers. That wouldn't mean much, but that's only to those who didn't know that the parents of said family had taught their children something.

You can use anything around you as a weapon.

* * *

Ninomiya noticed it as he continued to fire off Hound. It was something small. It was so small that if he wasn't in the middle of the fight he would have never noticed it all.

'What is he doing? As long as he is looking at me straight in the eyes he won't be able to use Teleport. Even if he quickly flicks his eyes to the side, it'll be that much easier for me to figure out where he will teleport to.'

Yuki never looked at his opponent when in a fight. He would always quickly move his eyes around the battlefield so that he would be able to teleport to any place he could see. Having him look directly at Ninomiya quickly brought up red flags.

This fight had been so out of place in their normal fights that Ninomiya was actually a bit worried that he wouldn't be able to predict Yuki's next moves.

'I just have to-'

In that moment, it happened.

Ninomiya blinked.

"!?"

The first real attack - a flash!

"One!"

In the literal blink of an eye, Yuki had appeared in front of him, taken his arm off, and land behind Ninomiya.

"I see... You were looking me in the eye to determine when I would blink so that I wouldn't see you use Teleport and attack."

Something like that sounded absolutely ridiculous. Even with a Trigger - even with an instant Teleport - to attack in the literal blink of an eye was far too out there to be believable. Something like that only ever happened in manga and anime.

'No. For someone who is in _that_ family, it might be possible. But still... The exact timing of that kind of attack should be too hard to do. His brain couldn't be able to command the use of Teleport faster than I could blink. Unless...'

Copycat.

Many, many times Ninomiya had called his #1 enemy a copycat. The reason was always because of Yuki's Side Effect - a Side Effect which let him copy any movement he could see by anticipating what movement that would be.

He had used that Side Effect to copy Ninomiya's general movement, as well as certain things. He had not only copied Ninomiya's movement of eyes and when his eyelids would fall, he also copied his breathing and slight movements of the body whenever he launched an attack. Most of these things Ninomiya wasn't even aware he was doing.

Ninomiya was now mad. He was mad that he was mad. He only ever got really mad when it came to Yuki. Most of the time it was just irritation, but this time it was different. The fact Yuki had so easily gotten through with such skill pissed Ninomiya off. Just days ago Yuki had asked him and Mei for help in defeating an opponent while on a train. He had felt so smug hearing that from the younger one.

But now...

But now he was positive that Yuki could take on that same opponent with even less help.

.

Yuki ran towards the rubble of the building Ninomiya had first destroyed.

He could see Ninomiya getting mad and couldn't be more proud to know that he was the one to make the Shooter that mad.

'One arm and his head to go. Now that everything's set up...'

Smirking to himself, Yuki stopped in his tracks and quickly put his hand behind his back.

He grabbed the Trion weapon that had been dangling behind him the whole time. He pulled it out and held it at arm's length.

Idōgetsu was a Trion weapon that had been made for Yuki and Yuki alone. It had many forms that all had different qualities that made each one very unique. It's length had always been that of Yuki's arm, but it seemed to have been extended by a few centimeters. What's more was that the general appearance of it seemed to have been modified. It was no longer a simple pole that had a sharp end and a blunt end. Now it was a pole that had two blunt ends with one side having two rods sticking out from the sides.

'It feels different than the old one, but it should help in making sure I don't just spew my Trion out with Mangetsu or anything.'

Idōgetsu had always been a one-handed weapon that Yuki would use for different scenarios. If he wanted the quickest attacks then he would go straight to Gengetsu - his favorite form. If he wanted the most powerful attack then he would go with Mangestu - the wrecking ball. If he wanted a balance weapon then he would go with Jikangetsu - a scythe version of Kōgetsu. He had hardly used his new form, so he wouldn't be using that against someone like Ninomiya.

Deciding on the first form, Yuki swiped the pole to the side as he moved to dodge at shots going towards him. This form was his go-to and favorite form that took the appearance of a crescent-shaped blade.

Gengetsu - the crescent guillotine.

Yuki bent down and grabbed a few pieces of rubble from the ground.

He jumped into the air to dodge the Hound chasing him. He threw a few pieces of the rubble to use as shields and take out the remaining shots.

He used the rest of the rubble in his hand to throw it at Ninomiya.

Again, in an instant, he attacked.

.

Ninomiya could see the pieces of rubble coming at him. He though they were thrown as distractions and so just looked around, ready to attack.

He was shocked when Yuki was suddenly above him, crescent blade ready to come down on his next like a guillotine ready to decapitate a criminal.

"Off with your head."

Acting quickly, Ninomiya used Hound to move around and aim for Yuki from almost all angles.

'He can't see from his position in the air.'

"Wrong."

Ninomiya moved back to dodge the new weapon that went for his neck.

He could see Yuki standing there with a different blade than the one he just had. Instead of the guillotine-like blade that was shaped like a crescent there was now a scythe that had a wide arc.

Jikangetsu - the long scythe.

'He has more range now.'

Ninomiya looked down at his dangling arm as he thought this. He had manged to dodge the initial attack at his neck, but he couldn't save his arm from getting a cut. Now he was two arms down. One hit to his neck and he would lose.

Not wanting to lose to this person, Ninomiya made sure to take things more carefully from now on. He made sure to jump back a few feet and created a trail of prickly Trion cubes.

He had thought of hiding behind buildings while firing and using Bagworm, but there were two things wrong with that. The first was that he knew he couldn't escape Yuki's eyes at all. The second was that his pride wouldn't let him hide from Yuki of all people. It was a moment where his pride had taken front and center while pushing rational thoughts to the side for a moment.

.

Yuki saw where Ninomiya moved and smirked.

Without any delay, Yuki ran forward. Idōgetsu was now back into its base form at his side.

Already knowing what was going to happen, Yuki continued to move on light feet in a zig-zag path. Even with Hound chasing after him, he was still able to escape most of the shots. Some had manged a hit, but nothing too bad.

He took his eyes off of Ninomiya for a second to look a bit behind him. It gave away what he was doing, but that was fine with him.

'Teleport!'

In an instant, Yuki was above Ninomiya, Mangetsu ready to smash down on the Shooter. Yuki started to bring his arm down to attack, but didn't see a shot coming from the side.

One of Ninomiya's shots had curved and turned to attack Yuki from the side. The shot managed to land a hit and take off Yuki's arm, sending both his arm and Idōgetsu into the air.

"AH!"

Without an hesitation, and with a quick shout, Yuki grabbed his severed arm and brought it down.

Ninomiya had quickly brought up a Shield.

That didn't mean anything against the brute force weapon that smashed right through the defense.

Using Ninomiya's moment of shock, Yuki used Teleport to appear in front of the older man and quickly switch from using the heavy hitter Mangetsu to the speed oriented Gengetsu. He quickly took Ninomiya's other arm and teleported away to dodge the multiple,e shots aimed at him.

An arm for an arm.

"Two!"

.

Ninomiya was wasn't sure, but he thought something was off.

Yuki, although a master at using Teleport, was being to precise with where he teleported to. Where he had landed in front of Ninomiya was impossible for Yuki to see from his angle.

Scanning the area around, Ninomiya spotted something that shouldn't have been there.

The image of a snowflake.

"Aw~ You noticed~"

He indeed noticed it. Once he saw that single snowflake he started it notice many more scattered around. It wasn't just snowflakes either. Images of crescents and rook pieces were also scattered around. Each one looked like a tattoo or a picture.

Then it clicked.

He was in a trap.

 _These marks were used for teleport spots._

Something like that was usually something Trappers would do by using Switchbox, but there was a particular Trigger that Yuki had that allowed him to do it.

His own special Teleport.

Only three agents were using this Trigger since Trappers were a thing, as well as needing quite a bit of experience to get timing and placement down. Among the three who were using it, Yuki was the more proficient in using it. And that's saying quite a lot since Takaoto Mei was one of the others who was using it.

'A Teleport Trap... That's why he was running around like that.'

Ninomiya _hated_ to admit it, but this was certainly original. Kazama may have used this trick in the last invasion, with help of course, but this was beyond that fight. Yuki was actively placing new marks in multiple locations, allowing him to move much more freely, as well as moving to a place he would think is perfect for attacking.

He could always find the perfect spot to attack.

He could always find the perfect time to dodge.

He could always find the perfect area to be in.

Yuki had created a tactic that would make it hard for most to win by attacking him. The fact that Ninomiya was able to take his arm was because he had the foresight to do so. Others who weren't use to Yuki would have trouble even figuring out what was going on.

"Just your head is left."

.

Yuki got ready to attack again.

He had Idōgetsu in its base form, ready to change into any one of its multiple forms. This was the final portion of the fight. Yuki just had to take off Ninomiya's head, while Ninomiya had to shoot him full of holes.

'There are hidden markers he hasn't seen yet, so I can use one of those. He is on top of one of them, so I could attack from there too. I need to be wary of how he is going to attack though. He's probably going to make a defense using Hound so I can't get too close.'

As he thought that, Yuki moved on the ground a bit.

He could see that he was right as Ninomiya surrounded himself with triangles made of Trion. They would attack at any moment, but most likely never reach their target. As soon as they attacked, Yuki would be gone.

"Asteroid."

Yuki was shocked to see that the shots being fired weren't even being fired at him. Instead they were being fired at the area around the two.

'He's trying to destroy the markers. But there is still...'

He couldn't teleport to any of the spots he had marked now. He would run the risk of landing on a spot that was being aimed at, so he went with a simpler move. He ran forward.

He got Idōgetsu ready to attack and deliver the finishing attack. He dodged the shots that were being fired at him from multiple directions.

It was difficult, but he managed to weave through the tight spots to get to Ninomiya.

'Right there!'

Just as Yuki got within range of attacking...

"!?"

Yuki went wide eyed as a rain of Trion bullets came down upon him, filling him full of holes.

.

Ninomiya watched as his tactic worked.

He had used Asteroid as a distraction to destroy the markers placed around the area. That was only so that he could send dust into the air and hide the fact he sent Hound through the dust and into the air. He had perfect timing that shows when Yuki was about to attack, but was attacked instead.

"I win."

He had won and ended the tie the two had. He also now had three requests that Yuki could not go against.

Those requests didn't mean much though. The single fact that he had won was enough for him to-

"Off with your head."

Ninomiya went wide-eyed as his head was cut from his body.

Before he Bailed Out he saw Yuki landing on the ground, Idōgetsu in his hand, having taken the form of Gengetsu.

He lost.

* * *

"..."

Ninomiya wasn't sure what had happened. He knew he had destroyed Yuki by using Hound to blow multiple holes into his Trion-made body. How could he have escaped that? It made no sense.

Ninomiya tightened his fists as he thought more and more about it.

In the final moment, he had lost.

 _"Zanzō. It's a Trigger that my younger sister had made. I'm pretty sure you've seen it in use before. I choose something that's on me as a target for an attack that hits me. That something takes the hit for me and I teleport to an area that I've already targeted. When you attacked me with Hound, the attack ended up attacking one of the wrappings around my body. I had teleported behind you and that was it."_

Ninomiya couldn't believe it. Yuki had that Trigger in his slot. He wasn't prepared for something like that, so that was why he lost. But something didn't make sense to him.

"If you had that Trigger then why didn't you use it when I took your arm?"

 _"I was too focused on attacking you. I wasn't going to run away from you at that time, so it cost me an arm. Although I was able to take_ your _arm in return."_

"..."

 _"By the way, don't go thinking you ever had a chance of winning. That small part with Asteroid was obvious. I had already planned for that. You clearly didn't notice, but you were standing right on top of one of my markers. I could appeared under you at any moment and attacked you."_

That new knowledge made Ninomiya all the more mad. To know he really couldn't have won was humiliating to him.

Little did he know that that was the least of his worries.

 _"Now~ About our agreement~ I already have something in mind for you~ Ma~sa~ta~ka~chyan~"_

"... Damn it all..."

* * *

Their tie had come to an end. Yuki was the winner, but only because that was decided so early on in the fight.

The two were the same in the sense that they would have gotten mad once their opponent landed the first attack. Since Yuki was the one to get the first hit in, Ninomiya was the one who lost.

These two ran on anger and pride when facing each other, so something as simple as "first hits" and "powerful attacks" was all it took to decide who would win the match. Only a handful of people knew this about the two.

Murakami Kou was one of those people had just witnessed it happened yet again.

* * *

QOTC: Favorite Idōgetsu form?


	51. Border

**Welcome to the anniversary chapter of Sick Snow. I hope you all enjoy this trash.**

* * *

 **Chapter 51**

* * *

Radar Search Training. Following the radar directions, seek out and shoot targets. If targets are not found using the Radar then it does not count. After landing one shot, move on to search for the next target. Scores are based on how many targets are hit within the time limit.

The Snipers were focused on their joint training. All they heard were the shots from other Snipers shooting. There was a good amount practicing at this time.

Misaki Suzumebachi was one of the people who seemed to be really focused on the task put out in front of her. To her right was Kodera Shōhei and to the left was some other random Sniper she hadn't met yet. The look she was giving off compared to the two seemed much more competitive than usual.

'There... And there... And there...'

The feeling she gave off continued to unnerve the two next to her.

* * *

"Suzu-san, is everything okay?"

Kodera wasn't sure if he wanted to even look in Suzume's direction as she gave off the same unnerving feeling as before. He had only ever seen her like this when she was fighting with Narasaka or when someone annoyed her enough.

Something he had learned at his time as a Border agent was that you should _never_ cross Kotowari Squad's females when they are angry. You would have a better chance at surviving in hell than dealing with them. He had only seen Suzume angry before, but he could image what Hoshi would look like. That wasn't mentioning all the stories he has heard about Mei's terror.

He wasn't sure if he even wanted to ask what he did, but found that there was no way to take it back now. He was now stuck in this situation where he could get a Stinger shoved between his eyes at any moment.

"Hm? Yeah. Why are you honesty asking?"

Yet nothing like that happened.

Kodera was shocked at how quickly Suzume's mood seemed to change, as if she never seemed mad. He had always known her to be a bit...odd at times, but this seemed to be on a different level. Which really didn't surprise him at all.

"You seemed a bit angry when you were shooting just now. Did something happen?"

"No. Not that I honestly know of." Suzume tapped her forehead a few times before shrugging. "Maybe I was just too focused on my shooting."

'That was her being overly focused...?'

"Was I honestly that focused on it? Sorry if I scared you. I've just been getting myself pumped for a while now. Narasaka's help is definitely getting me to improve, but I still need to get better. I don't want to lose to you A-Ranks in this. Not only that..."

Kodera took a step back once he saw the look he was getting.

Suzume looked at him like she looked at Narasaka when they were having an argument - fierce and ready to win at any cost.

"As his third apprentice... _I honestly won't lose to you or Akane-chan._ "

That unnerving feeling he had gotten from her before had now come to light for him. She had been too focused on her objective because she wanted to get better. She seemed to have set steps for herself.

Kodera and Akane were the first steps.

Narasaka was the next one.

"Honestly speaking though," Suzume said, placing her arms under her breasts, "between that jackass Tōru and the idiot Ken, I'm not sure if I can stay particularly sane anymore. That's not mentioning I'm in the same class as the latter."

Suzume let out a long and dragged out sigh, bringing emphasis on her breasts, something Kodera tried but failed to ignore. She lazily turned her gaze to the side, over to nothing in particular. It looked like she was thinking about something but at the same time trying not to think about it.

Kodera could only stare in confusion as his friend and new fellow student seemed to go through a few emotions in a matter of seconds. He had thought that it was her time of the month, but he didn't dare vocalize his thoughts. Mostly because he _would_ get a Stinger to his face for that.

Shaking her head a bit, Suzume turned back to Kodera with a smile on her face. She opened her mouth to say something but quickly shut it and got a new smile on her face. This one wasn't the kind and sisterly one she just had on, rather it was a sly one that could give the Cheshire Cat a run for his money.

"It was honestly nice talking to you, Shōhei-kun, but I honestly have to go do something."

Kodera could only nod his head as Suzume started walking by him.

She did put on a kind smile as she passed by and said,

"I'll honestly see you around."

* * *

Suzume, using all her training to hide herself from others for sniping, soundlessly made her way up to a certain group that had been talking.

Amatori Chika and Oki Koji were currently the only ones who had their backs facing Suzume. The ones in front of those two saw the female Sniper creeping up hut kept quiet about it. Touma was interested as to what would happen while Ema and Akane warned Natsume to just not get involved.

As she snuck up to the two, Suzume had to make a quick dash to the side so she wouldn't be seen by Oki.

The reason for this was simple.

Ema had gotten jealous of his upperclassman being so casual with Amatori. He even went so far as to say,

"That's enough, Oki-senpai. You're making Amatori-san uncomfortable."

That was what finally did it for her.

Suzume popped up, phone in hand. She quickly started taking pictures from all kinds of angles, making both young snipers go a bit pink.

"Great! Great! Honestly great! Leave it to Yuzu-kun to get something as adorable as this done! I'll make sure to compensate you for the troubles!"

"Oh? When were you here, Misaki-chan?"

"Hm. I was honestly going to smother you for what you honestly did last time. You got off lucky because of Yuzu-kun. I suggest you thank him for the fact that you are still alive."

As if to make her point, Suzume crossed her arms under her breasts, making them stand out more. This caused the males around to either stare at them or look away completely.

Luckily for Oki, Akane walked forward and started talking. Pointing to herself as she did so.

"Oki-senpai, what about me?"

"Hm? What about you, Akane-chan?"

"Oki-senpai had said that it was hard for him to shoot cute girls! I want to know if it's hard for him to shoot me!"

"Oh, Akane-chan! It's hard for anyone to shoot you! You're honestly too adorable!"

"Agreed. Hiura-chan is also tough to shoot."

"Yay!"

Deciding to ignore them for a bit, Ema pulled out his phone when he felt it vibrate in his pocket. He saw that he got a message from Kageura and said so.

Touma was quick to comment.

"That sounds fun. Are Izuho and Chikako doing anything after this?"

"Reiji-san is coming to pick me up as 6pm..."

"Until then we're training with Hiura-senpai before going home."

"Oh. Would you three honestly mind if I joined in?"

The three girls were fine with is, so that left Touma and Ema to go off and meet up with the others.

Meanwhile, Oki had just watched this happen. When he himself was about to leave he noticed a sharp look that he was getting from Suzume. It was easy to read.

Suzume was saying, just through that look, that she would not lose to other snipers. It didn't matter if it was in a match or just training. This was easily deciphered by Oki and got a nod from him.

This meant a lot since...

'We'll beat them in the next match.'

* * *

"Say it~"

"H-he... HHHHMMMMMMMMM! Hello... T-Tsuki-... Tsukiko-sa...sama..."

"Good job~ Now, remember to always greet me just lime that whenever you see me~"

Murakami truly felt like he had made a big choice in having Yuki as a friend at this point. What he was currently seeing was something he never thought he would see, but that was because he never thought it was even possible to begin with.

Kageura seemed to be having the time of his life though. He was taking a picture of the scene with his phone after having sent a message to Ema. He didn't even hide the fact that he was sending the picture rigtu to Yuki's phone either.

Yuma just seemed very confused.

The scene that was playing out in front of them was truly something else.

After having lost to Yuki, Ninomiya had been forced to abide by the rules that had been set beforehand. The first of the demands Yuki gave was something along the lines of,

"You have to bow down to me and address me as Tsukiko-sama every time you see me. You must do this for as long as I am a part of Border. I'll take _some_ pity on you."

Murakami had quickly taken a look around the area to make absolutely sure that Suzume was nowhere in the area. _That_ would be when things might go to hell.

Ninomiya wasn't any better off. Having to do such a thing in the first place was bad enough, but now he was stuck doing this to the single person he hated with every fiber of his being. He thought of committing seppuku to get out of it but thought that Yuki shouldn't get the satisfaction of seeing that. Also, he quite liked living.

"Anyways. I'll be giving more demands later on. So, for now, you can-"

Everyone went wide eyed when they saw Yuki suddenly disappear from where he had been standing. They could have sworn that they saw a blur of brown pass by but weren't too sure. That is, until they turned their heads to see a certain hound sitting on Yuki's stomach.

* * *

Toby had been running around all of Border, looking for Yuki. He had messaged the older boy for a while now but had yet to get any sort of reply. That lead him to just start running around, dodging anyone and everything that got in his way.

His Side Effect certainly came in handy at times like this.

Once he saw who he was looking for, standing rather proudly, he sped up his pace and took larger strides. Once he was fast enough and close enough, he pounced.

He tackled Yuki hard and ended having both of them roll along the ground. He made sure to have a tight grip on Yuki so that he wouldn't end up losing the A-Rank during the roll. Once they slowed down he moved his body just right so that he would end up landing in their current position.

Everyone around them swore they saw two dog ears appear on top of Toby's head while a dog tail was wagging energetically behind him.

But that was just crazy.

... Right?

"PLEASE HELP ME OUT, YUKI!"

As a show of respect, Toby slammed his head down in a bow. The issue with that was the fact that he had forgotten how he landed and ended up slamming his head right onto Yuki's chest.

Toby was known to have a rather hard head.

* * *

Murakami and Kageura had quickly ran over to help Yuki out when they saw Toby slam his head onto their friend.

Yuma followed behind.

Ninomiya on the other hand just grinned as he stood up. He made the smart decision of silently making his way out of the area.

"Awdry, you should get off of him now. You're weight is one thing but you just slammed your head right onto his chest. He isn't currently in his Trion Body so..."

"I'm sorry!"

Toby quickly jumped up and watched Murakami help Yuki up.

He hadn't meant to hurt Yuki, but he was far too energetic. He had searched for a while to ask for help from his former captain, and pretty much any time with Yuki was fun.

Murakami shook Yuki a bit before letting out a sigh.

"Yeah. He's knocked out. I'd rather not leave him around, anyone mind if we take him along?"

"Can I go!? Wait...where are you going? Whatever! Can I go? I still want to ask Yuki for help! Plus I need to apologize to him! I'll pay for myself if it's a place like that!"

Murakami and Yuma turned to Kageura, who was looking rather nonchalant.

They already had a number of people going. Kageura, Murakami, Yuma, Touma, Ema and Kitazoe were supposedly the only ones going, but now two more were going to be added on to that.

"Fine. Let's just get going then."

"Right. Awdry, help me out here."

"Right!"

Toby moved over and put Yuki's other arm over his shoulder.

* * *

"Bad dog."

"Ow, ow, ow! Okay, okay! That hurts!"

Yuki let out a huff as he crossed his arms.

He was sitting across from Toby, who was now rubbing his head. The two were sitting in a table next to the one where most of the cooking action was going on. Next to them was the table that had everyone else in it, for some reason not moving over to make more room.

Yuki shook his head before he started making the food for their table as well.

"I said I was sorry for accidentally beating you up."

The two could hear a snort from the other table and turned to see that Kageura was the one to make the noise. Although Murakami and Kitazoe looked like they also wanted to say something on the matter.

No one said anything and just turned back to what was going on at each table. That being Yuma and Yuki making the food.

"Anyways... What did you want help with? My Idōgetsu isn't too much like Scorpion, not much I can help you out with. I was a Kōgetsu user after all."

"That's fine! I'm already good enough with Scorpion... No... Rather... I've gotten better with Scorpion. What I need help with is Teleport. You showed me how to use Special Teleport but not really what to do with it. I need help in learning how to really use it."

"Wouldn't that he like copying me again? I told you about and hoe to use Special Teleport mostly because it was just a sort of gift for disbanding. Speaking of which... Where's your hat?"

Toby froze at this while the ones from the other table turned their attention to the two. It was a well known fact that the only time that Toby didn't have his hat on was when the squad had disbanded and the three we're going through some issues.

Seeing him without it now really was odd. Especially since he just ran straight into Yuki himself.

The only one who was really confused was Yuma, but Murakami quickly explained the significance of the signature items that the Attacker and Shooter of Kotowari Squad wore as if it was a part of their body.

Toby let out a sheepish laugh and made sure not to look at Yuki in the eye.

"Well... Ya see... (I had given it to Step since he was leaving... Ah.) Sorry... But yeah... I've never done anything for him, so I thought that it would be a good gift to him. I'm sorry I just gave it away like that!"

"Hm? Oh. It is what it is. As a fellow older brother I completely understand the sentiment."

Toby let out a relieved sigh.

"That being said..."

Toby looked up in surprise when he felt a pair of hands on his head. The hands belonging to Yuki started messing around with his hair, moving it from one side to another. He had tried to get Yuki to stop but got his hand swatted by the older one.

Once he seemed to be done, Yuki pulled back and crossed his arms. He gave a small hum before nodding his head and turning to the ones on the other table.

Toby also turned his head to them and saw Yuma and Kitazoe giving thumbs up while Murakami and Kageura looked like they were trying to hold in some laughter. Touma grinned while Ema looked like it really didn't matter.

Quickly bringing out his phone, Toby looked at his reflection and saw that his hair had been styled in something akin to dog ears. Although it did look like a rather messy job given the small amount of time it took.

"What the heck?"

"There. If you don't have the hat then there's no reason to 'hide' your ears, right!"

Toby gave a small whine that made him seem more like a dog than ever.

"With Kage making more friends and Kiyo being back, Zoe-san is so happy."

"Shut it!"

"I've always been here, jackass."

Kageura continued speaking while he started pointing at Yuma.

"It's because this guy is different from the others. When ordinary guys are going to attack, before that their 'I'm going to attack' feeling ends up pricking me because of my crappy Side Effect. But this guy doesn't do that. He's like a robot or a bug and I can't read his emotions."

"Bug?"

"He's able to attack while completely hiding his intentions. The only other ones who can do that are that old man Azuma and the walking catastrophe Fuji. That's why it's exciting to fight with him. That's what I care about."

"I see. An uninhabited sword, huh."

"By the way, Kage..."

Yuki, without looking, gave the words that managed to make most of them shiver a bit.

"I'll make sure to tell Mei you called her 'the walking catastrophe'. I'm a bit interested in seeing what new form she will turn you into."

Yuma tilted his head when he noticed that Kageura turned pale while Kitazoe, Murakami and Touma gave him a look as if they were praying for him.

"Trust me, Yuma. You don't want to know what kinds of things Mei is capable of."

Yuma turned to Toby, who seemed to be fixing his hair to make it really look like dog ears.

"Hm? Is she really terrifying?"

"Oh yeah. She's been ranked number 1 as the agent mostly like to destroy everything in a kilometer radius by just using one of the simpler Triggers. Yuki's mentioned before that she was able to take out a good amount of propery as well as Trion Soldiers with a single punch."

"Does she use a Black Trigger?"

"Nope. That's just from her personal Trigger."

Yuma gave a small hum as he thought about this information.

He really couldn't help but to wonder who would win between Mei and Konami now. Both seemed to really just destroy everything in their way with their personal Triggers.

Yuki noticed that Yuma was thinking and so decided to converse with him a bit.

"Hey, Kuga, your squad haven't gone up against Kotowari Squad, has it? Actually, come to think of it, Kage, your squad hasn't gone up against them either yet."

Kageura couldn't answer at the time. He was still trying to figure out how to sooth the demon that would be after him by the end of the night.

Yuma on the other hand was fine to answer.

"Nope. I have gone a few rounds with Toby, but we haven't gone squad against squad."

"Why not go against them in a practice match? Now that they have Hoshi and you have Hyuse, it'll be even."

"Hm? How did you-"

"Shobu went up against him and told us at the Yagura Branch about it. Shobu being one of our branch members."

Yuma crossed his arms as his signature duck face came up.

"Humu~ Humi~ I'll ask the others about it."

"Great. I'm sure Kotowari Squad will be fine with it."

Yuki turned to Toby, who jumped a bit at the quick look.

"Right! I'll just tell Take and Mei later on!"

Yuma nodded his head as they all continued to eat.

* * *

Kotowari Takeshi moved his arms through the air as three green orbs of Trion moved around with his movements.

These three green Trion orbs were his Triggers. One of them was made to use Asteroid while another was used to make Meteora. Each one fired off laser-like beaks every five or so seconds, destroying the buildings that had been made for his practice.

Takeshi flicked his index finger and a fourth Trion orb appeared from nowhere.

He held his arms out as a fifth and sixth Trion orb appeared.

Each Trion orb moved towards him and started circling around him. Laser-like beams came out of each one. First they shot out horizontally, straight out. They started to love as Takeshi moved his fingers.

Now intend of horizontally, they moved diagonally.

Takeshi moved his two index fingers and ring fingers. Four beams completely turned around so that they were now clashing with other laser-like beams.

This gave the laser-like beams a sort of cage look as they moved around.

"- - - -"

As Takeshi muttered under his breath the orbs all collided into each other before letting out a large laser-like beam that destroyed the buildings in front of him.

His special Laser-Shooter made making composite bullet attacks easier to make.

Although that didn't mean he didn't need practice.

With his squad's next opponents being on the upper part of the B-Rank listing he wanted to get better. He knew how skilled his opponents would be, so this was an obvious thing for him to do.

"..."

Takeshi let out a small sigh as he fixed his scarf and started to walk away.

"Senpai is off with Narasaka-san and Satori-senpai while Toby went to ask Yuki-senpai for help... Hm. I hope he makes it back in once piece..."

* * *

After a while, and convincing on Kitazoe and Murakami's part, Kageura was able to move once again, freed from the idea of having to face Mei.

"Oh, right. This is off topic," Kageura spoke up, "but hey, Kuga. It seems this guy likes your team's little sniper."

"PFFFF!?"

Yuma turned from Kageura to Ema, who currently had water drinking from his mouth.

"That so? How ambitious. Someone earnestly pursing Chika has to be a good guy."

"... ... ..."

"Yuzuru has a girlfriend... Zoe-san is so happy."

"You're so happy you're crying, Zoe."

While one of the three members of Kageura Squad seemed to be rejoicing, their captain felt very differently about the whole thing.

"This isn't a good thing. He has thoughts of losing the next match on purpose."

"You mean you're going to just let Amatori-chan win? Yuzuru."

"...I mean it's not like our team is aiming for the expedition team. So wouldn't it be fine to surrender the expiation spot to the squads who want to join?"

Everyone just looked over at him.

Except one person.

"That's why you were thinking of losing?"

"Ah. If it's about that then we're fine. Don't worry." Yuma held a fork in his mouth and raised is left hand. "Chika was already chosen for the expedition ship."

"Huh?"

"What do you mean?"

"Since she has a lot of Trion, with Chika there the expedition ship size increases in size. Kido-san asked us to lend them Chika so that this way a lot of the lower ranks can also join."

"Speaking of... The other day we got a notice that some people among the B-Ranks would be chosen as expedition members."

One of them wrinkled his brows together but said nothing.

'Is that what Mei has been muttering about then...?'

Shaking his head, Toby focused back on the conversation at hand.

"The expedition ship is pretty cramped. So with Chikako's Trion we can expand it, huh."

"Then there's no problem. Since she's already been chosen to go, don't keep feeling like you should lose."

"To add my own two cents in, someone who is currently residing in the Yagura Branch is in a similar position as her. He doesn't have a particularly high amount of Trion on his own, but he has quote the talent for taking it in. He's great with kids, so I'm sure he would have no problem with protecting Amatori."

He really didn't have a reason to reject winning now.

The fact that Chika was able to go regardless of winning or losing was something that should have made him agree to winning.

But even so...

"Amatori-san was the only one chosen to go though, right? Going alone without her squad is a huge cause for concern, isn't it?"

"He has a point."

"Aahh! We say one thing, he has to say another, you little-"

"Oh? What's this?"

Everyone there turned to the new voice and saw that it actually came from Arafune. Hokari being behind him.

"Some kind of meet-up?"

Yuki and Toby moved over to make room for the two to take their seats while the others explained everything to them.

After getting settled in Arafune started up again, this time more on the topic with everyone else.

"I more or less understand. However, I don't see an issue. If Ema individually aims to be an expedition member, then he can go alongside Tamakoma's Chibi-chan and everything's solved."

"...! Me, an expedition member...!?"

"That way there's no need for you to lose on purpose. It also won't come down to Tamakoma's Chibi-chan going alone."

Murakami and Yuma seemed to agree with this. They weren't the only ones though, just the ones to vocalize it.

"If you're worried about Chibi-chan, you yourself should go ahead and protect her yourself."

"I should..."

"Well, whether you chose to do it or not, we'll be fine either way."

Yuma looked straight at Ema with a grin in place.

"In the end, we at Tamakoma are going to win against you."

Toby looked on as if he was watching some sort of drama on TV.

He turned to Yuki with a sort of confused look.

"What are your thoughts on this, Yuki?"

"Hm?"

For the first time since the conversation started, Yuki looked up and like he was actually paying attention.

"Toby, this really has nothing to do with us. Besides, anything I could possibly say has already been said. Although, if I did so happen to have something to say..."

Yuki took the quickest of glances over to Ema before giving a rather lazy look to the ceiling.

"One thing, Ema. Did Amatori ever ask for your help? I don't know what your answer to all of this is, nor do I really care. What I'm basically saying is that you aren't helping someone who asked for it, so when you say you are helping her 'for her sake', you're being rather insulting. It means you view her as someone who is lacking without your help. Or any help in this case. It is either one-sided charity or something you are forcing on her. You are simply trying to gain a temporary sense of superiority over the people who have the bare minimum of pride in being able to survive on their own. They are doing their best to survive, but you take that from them with an insulting sense of superiority and yet you pass it off as kindness."

So...

"Whether you give up on the match or decide to go along with what Tetsu said... If you are going to do it, say it's for your own sake. Or perhaps because you can't forgive yourself for letting things like that happen. Forcing that on someone may be hypocritical, but at the very least, don't expect any thanks for it."

Ema said no more.

That doesn't mean the others didn't.

In a chorus of sarcasm, the people in the same age group all said,

"There it is~! Kiyoshi's Indiscriminate Lecturing and Bombing Corner~!"

Yuki could feel his eyebrow twitching, but he made sure to keep himself in check in a public area.

That didn't mean he wouldn't punch them later for this.

Ema meanwhile just put some money down and got up.

"Whoa there... Where're you going, Yuzuru?"

"I'm going to HQ. And as soon as I get bak, I'm going over Tamakoma's logs again."

He walked out before they could say any more.

Kageura looked at where Ema had been sitting and picked up the money he left.

"That dumbass... Leaving his money and stormin' out all of a sudden... I told him it was my treat today, damnit!"

* * *

On a different side or Mikado City...

"So I most likely will be stuck with this then..."

Takaoto Mei let out a rather long sigh as she cleaned around the squad's operating room.

"And right after they give me such an assignment that even Kako seems to be glad not to be a part of. Well, I suppose she wouldn't have a choice if I didn't deny her and her squad the chance to help out."

She was in the room that was mainly used for storage or for some peace and quiet. Or just to hide.

The operating room was split into three rooms, two being small while the third was a big one. While one of the smaller ones was for the mats for Bail Out and the larger one for general stuff, the third was was a sort of walk-in closet with many things scattered around it.

Mei's petite but powerful figure could be seen walking from one side of the room to the other with things in her arms.

"Just because he is sick and she is a monster, I'm stuck with this kind of task. While he can't mentally do as much as me, Mukuro would have been a far better choice in the matter. He doesn't even do anything anyways."

Mei spoke as if everything she said was a fact.

She wasn't really someone who asked questions since she could calculate any and all answers due to her Side Effect. She also didn't complain, but that was because she disguised her complaints as facts.

And this really was a fact.

The agent Taiyōko Mukuro belonged to Border's Yagura Branch, yet he never really did much. He had helped in two recent incidents, but only barely. He had also been forced by his older sister to actually do anything.

While Mei had her squad to look over, Mukuro was a solo agent. That meant he really would have been a better choice for this kind of task than Mei.

Although Mei wasn't one to complain so...

"I guess I have no choice. I've accumulated a bit too much debt since joining Border. I really should hit Sensei for making me cause that much damage."

* * *

Toby felt rather out of place. He was rather glad that Yuma was there, so he didn't feel all too bad.

He had just wanted to ask Yuki for help, but that seemed to be so ethi g that wouldn't come up at all again for the current time.

Toby looked over at his former captain to see him happily taking in ice cream.

He heard the conversation continue on with Kitazoe being the one to continue on.

"I don't know if there's even such a match where one team loses on purpose, but... At any rate, I've got a feeling we'd get told off if we just threw the game like that."

"Ehh, for something small like that? Not really? If you're gonna say that goin' just a tad easy on your opponents is bad, then... That'd mean Chikako, who can't bring herself to shoot people, would also be in trouble, you know?"

Yuma looked towar Touma, who was sitting next to him.

"Now that you mention it," started Arafune, "is it really true that the little pipsqueak can't shoot people?"

"Hmm~ We~ll, I wonder about that..."

"Oh come on now. I think it's safe to say the cat's completely out of the bag. There were plenty of times where, if she had just shot her opponents normally, she could've taken 'em out and cored points, after all."

"Or so we've led you to think... And it turns out to be a trap! Something like that."

"So you're telling me you'd go so far as to throw away points you could have taken all for the sake of this trap?"

"Well. I suppose you have a point."

"I see. So that's where the Lead Bullet comes in..."

"Well, that's interesting and all, but leaving that aside..."

Even with all of this said, one person didn't understand at all.

"What's all this about the Tamakoma runt?

"You really need to watch the logs a bit, Kage."

Kitazoe waved his arm a bit at his captain.

"But still, the fact that Amatori-chan apparently can't shoot people is quite fortunate for us. With her crazy Trion level, if she were to actually shoot people, nothing could possibly beat that! She'd be the strongest!"

 _"I bet she can."_

Everyone turned back to Touma as he went on.

"Chikako could surely shoot people. If she really felt like it."

"Whoa whoa whoa... But Touma, just before, even you were saying..."

"What I said was: 'Chikako doesn't want to shoot people.' I didn't mention a thing about her 'not being able to shoot people'. If she can shoot people with Lead Bullet, all she's gotta do from there is just turn Lead Nullet off. Simple. Right?"

"But wasn't she having is much trouble precisely because it wasn't that easy? It was her very nature that was the problem."

"Funny that you mention her nature like that when you yourself know someone who was very similar."

Both Yuki and Murakami perked up at this.

Everyone except Touma looked from one of the three to the other.

It was now a well known fact that Yuki had three siblings. Also that he had a sister complex when it came to his younger sister.

What _wasn't_ known was how things were with her before the current time frame.

Three of a handful of people who knew were sitting there right now.

So the two of the three who perked up knew exactly what Touma was talking about.

Rather, _who_ he was talking about.

* * *

Once, not too long ago, there was a girl who seemed like she was a princess from a fair tale. Everything about her screamed majestic and elegant.

This princess-like girl had three older siblings. Her parents, having passed away, were ones who didn't seem like the type to have this kind of child. But even so, she was watched over by her siblings.

At some point two of them had left. They had gone to a land far away, leaving her to be by herself in the house that was theirs.

The last sibling had already been disowned and could not return due to not wanting to having anything to do with his parents or older sister.

Even so, he watched over his younger sister.

The princess-like girl was the type of girl who would spend a whole day regretting having accidentally stepping on an ant. She hated violence in any shape or form, so this caused difficulties with the brother watching over her.

At some point she had met one of the brother's friends.

A breath of fresh air.

That's what the friend was to the girl. He was a nice, cool breath of fresh air that saw her and her brother as people he could get along with and _not_ a vicious person or an reachable princess.

At some point, after a certain incident, this girl had to deal with the loss of her third sibling.

But thanks to that friend she had joined an organization that helped others out.

She didn't like violence, so it was hard for her. But thanks to that friend she had been able to get over her issue of hating violence in order to help out the organization.

* * *

Murakami coughed into his hand before answering.

"Yeah, well... Things were very different in her case. The same thing won't work here."

"I know. So, just hear me out."

Touma turned from Murakami back to Yuma.

"It's indeed true that there are people out there who, by nature, can't bring themselves to attack others. You know, the ones who just dint have a personality suitable for battle. In Border, guys like that...are divided up from the rest while they are still C-Rank, and reassigned to either be an Operator or Engineer. And that's not a bad thing by any means. It's a matter of having the right people in the right places. But, if you were to ask me whether or not Chikako was that type of person or not, that'd be a no."

All of that meant...

"It might be in an assisting role, but that girl can shoot like there's no tomorrow. Lookin' at yesterday's match, she even helped Megane-kun utterly destroy Kashio. If you ask me, her personality is more than cut out for battle. It's just that she herself doesn't _want_ to shoot people."

"I see... So rather than 'can't shoot' it's that she 'doesn't want to shoot people', huh?"

"But in the end, isn't that the same thing?"

"Nope, they're completely different. About as different as 0 and 1. For the ones who 'can't shoot', no matter how far they go or how hard they try, they won't be able to do it. But as for the guys who 'don't want to shoot', if they're driven into a corner, they'll shoot. If you're on the brink of starvation, you'd have no problem eating foods you didn't want to eat, would you?"

"You think so?"

Kitazoe seemed rather unsure of the explanation. Although that was for a different reason.

"Not matter how hungry I was, there's no way I could ever eat a caterpillar, or something like that."

"You dying of starvation is something I couldn't image happening in a million years, though."

Touma took back the reins in the conversation and finished off his explanation.

"If it's already been decided that Chikako is goin' on the away mission, then... Before the expedition, I think it'd be best to let her get cornered, and make it so she's able to shoot people, to prepare for what's to come. Because in the end, the experience will help Chikako to protect herself in the future."

"Hmm..."

Touma was right.

Having the small sniper get over her desire to not shoot someone would be good for not only her squad, but her as a person.

Yuma made sure to remember to tell his captain about the night's conversation.

While that was going on Yuki stood up.

"Alright then. Come on, Toby."

"Huh?"

"You wanted help, right? I need to get you ready for the most hellish training of your entire life."

Toby tilted his head to the side.

At the two tables some of the people turned to Yuki with wide eyes or pitying looks to Toby.

Murakami was the one to speak up about it though.

"Hold on... You're not really putting him through _that_ are you?"

"Sensei is being forced to have a training session with whoever wants to join. He is going to put whoever goes through Level 1 so I'm going to have Toby go through that. When I'm done with him then he should be fine to finish L1. After that we'll go to L2."

Murakami, Kageura and the two from Arafune Squad gave Toby a look like they were taking pity on him or praying for his soul.

Kitazoe, Touma and Yuma just looked rather confused.

Toby was actually looking rather nervous.

He had remembered when Takeshi had come in saying that he went through something terrible when he had asked Yuki for help. Apparently even Mei was a bit unnerved by whatever it was.

"Anyways. Kuga-"

"Hellooo~ You lovely boys! The lovely Hikari has come to keep you all company!"

Yuki used this chance to grab onto Toby's head and start pulling him towards the exist.

The brunet continued to get the same looks from the same people as he was dragged out. He could also hear Hikari talking to them.

The poor boy had no idea what he had just gotten himself into.

* * *

QOTC: What would you give up for a loved one?


	52. Kotowari Squad: Part 8

**I won't let the hiatus stop me from updating!**

* * *

 **Chapter 52:** Kotowari Squad: Part 8

* * *

Something new happening was in no way surprising to them. It had been happening so much lately that they really thought that something was just testing in some way.

But this?

This was just something else altogether.

"So?"

Kotowari Squad stared at their former captain (and brother in one case) as if he had just asked something in a whole new language. He wasn't the type to do something without it having some sort of meaning, so they tried to figure it out.

Then again, he _had_ been involved with their battle with Tamakoma simply because he wanted a fight. True, it was to test how much better they had gotten, but it still seemed like he just wanted to fight them.

So, then, why was he standing by the door with a calm expression that seemed to try and sum everything up with a stare.

Being the one to voice their questions, Hoshi slowly raised her hand.

"Um... Kiyo-nii... Could you please repeat that for us? I would like to make sure we had heard you correctly."

Yuki shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly while lightly patting the shoulder of the person standing next to him.

"I wanted to know if you guys to make this guy here a part of your squad. He has been rather interested in you guys since you were brought back up to the tops of B-Rank once more. Don't worry, I can vouch for his skills. He won't hold you guys back. He could learn a bit more, but I'm sure you'll all be fine."

"I'm sure you have thought about the disadvantages of adding another person to our team," Mei said with a small sigh.

Yuki smirked over at her that made the others in the room feel like they should leave the two alone for a while.

"I'm sure _you_ have thought about the _advantages_ of adding another person to your team."

"Oh? You have the nerve to talk back to me after what you did? Don't forget that you still owe both me and Suzunari for saving your butt. Would you like me to bring up the footage? I will gladly show it to Ninomiya and have him criticize everything you did wrong."

"Is that so~? Well, I guess I'll just bring out my phone and send a certain video to others so they can see the Ultimate Operator's ultra cute side. I'm sure Kako will be overjoyed to see you in such a way."

Now was the time for everyone in the room to bring out their Triggers in case something started and they needed a quick escape. Even the person who was standing next to Yuki seemed ready to run out the door.

Not wanting things to get out of hand, Hoshi became the savior once more. This time she spoke quickly and to the person near the door.

"S-so! Um... I'm not the captain, but! But, I would like to know more about you. Everyone here is quite nice, so we can consider it. ...At least I believe so."

Taking pity on her fellow female, Suzume spoke up while keeping an eye on their Operator and former captain.

"What she's honestly saying is that if you are a part of this squad then there really isn't anything to hide. None of us honestly judge others or really care about things that are too far in the past. We are all here to listen to each other's problem and let them bury them into the deepest layers on the past."

"Wow. That sounded somewhat profound, Suzume. Are you sure you're feeling alright? Do you need to take a few days off? We can do the next match without you."

"Hey, Toby, honestly do me a favor? Go die and be reborn as a sea-urchin so that I can squash you and kill you again."

"I'd rather not. That's way too boring a life style for me. Besides, who would be here to guide you in the right direction of Scorion."

"People who are honesty better than you."

The person at the door watch the two separate arguments go on while trying to keep up with everything. He was not sure what to do or what to say. Too many things were really going on for him to keep track of things.

He was ready to leave when he noticed someone standing next to him.

That person was the official captain of the team.

"So, is it that you want to join us, or is Yuki-senpai making you?"

"I-I would like to join! He had said that he could help, but... I didn't think he would just bring me here..."

"Why?"

The boy gave a questioning look.

Takeshi lifted his scarf and looked away.

"I was just asking why you wanted to join _our_ squad. Sorry... I should have said so."

"No, no, no! It's fine!" The boy looked back at the small amount of chaos in the room. "I had seen you all fight in the B-Rank Wars and was fascinated by you all. You never seemed to stick with one way of fighting, so it looked rather nice. Even so, you all did look out for each other in one way or another. It seemed...nice."

"I see."

The person let out a small sigh.

He turned his sights to the ground while he shuffled his feet. It seemed that he was making sure that he did not make eye contact with any of them.

"I understand that you cannot fit me in anywhere. Squads are made up of four Combatants at most because their Operators can't handle a fifth person. This is why I did not come up to you all earlier."

The person heard a small sound and turned to see Takeshi looking at him as if he just said something ridiculous. That was also the time when he noticed that the chaos had stopped and everyone was now looking at him.

In unison, they all spoke the same phrase.

"What are you talking about? Mei(-san/nee) can easily handle five people at once."

The person went wide eyed as everyone seemed to be as relaxed as when he entered. Now that he thought about it, he never actually saw them tense, as if in a real fight.

Toby grinned from his spot while looking at the person.

"Mei can probably take care of two teams made of four people. Don't underestimate Border's Ultimate Operator."

"Adding one more person will honestly mean that she has another person to take care off."

"Don't worry, though, Mei-nee-san likes taking care of others. In a very nice quality."

Takeshi was the one to finish it all off.

"Basically speaking, there really is no reason we can't have you on our team."

The person looked at them all in shock. He had thought that they would say no for multiple reason. It was nice that he was wrong, but at the same time he had to wonder just how off base this whole team was.

Seeing his expression, Mei cleared her throught and spoke with a kind smile on her face.

"We are all fine with taking you in, so no need to worry. The only thing is that it will have to wait until this next match is over. There is no time to officially add you in. Especially since it's today. I'm sure you understand."

"Of course! Thank you all for this!" The boy gave a deep bow. "I will not let you down!"

They all smiled.

Yuki walked up to the two by the door. He patted Takeshi on the head while doing the same to the other boy's shoulder.

"Good. Now then, how about introductions."

"Right. Hello everyone, I am Seikaku Dokuji. Pleasure to meet you all."

* * *

[Hello and welcome, everyone, to the seventh match if the B-Rank Wars! Ayugai Kuni here to inform you all on what is happening! Kodera Shouhei and Arashiyama Jun are here as well! We will be the ones commenting on anything and everything going on during the match!]

[Thank you for having me.]

[Let's see what these teams can do this time.]

[Right! First up we have Ikoma Squad! They are pretty fun to watch since they don't usually come up with plans before hand! Next is Kotowari Squad! They managed to beat my team before, as well as the next team, but that's all good! Lastly is Shor Squad! They are barely keeping their spot in the tops!]

[Has Kotowari Squad, at least their older members, faced off against Ikoma Squad before?]

[I don't think so. Although, Mei has, for certain. At least once. ...I think.]

[Aaaaaaaaaaanyways. The teams are about to be transported in to begin!]

As the three commenters continued speaking to get everything going, other things were going on in the seats right below them.

A girl with yellow hair pouted with her arms crossed. Sitting next to her was a blond boy with a German Shepard in his arms, grinning at her.

"Aw~ What's wrong~?"

"It sucks that we can't be there. I want another team match with those two! I won't lose again!"

Inukai could only laugh as Shana gave a huff of annoyance at not being a part of the current match.

"Besides," began the female once again, "I don't even know who to root for. On one side there is Minu and No, on the other there's Suzu and Tobio. Ah! To heck with it! I'll go with rooting for both teams!"

"That's the spirit!"

"You two seem to be having fun over here. Mind if someone else joins in?"

The two blond turned their heads to see Yuki standing at the end of the isle with Dokuji standing next to him, looking a bit nervous.

Inukai happily waved to the two while making sure to keep a good grip on the dog in his arms.

"Sure. Do you two wanna sit here?"

"Not me. Just Seikaku here. I have to get back to the branch office and work on some stuff. I'm having a rather neutral day, so I want it get some work done in case I ended up passing out later on."

"Don't sound so eager about that. But sure, we'll watch over him."

The three went through introductions while Yuki waved at them all as he left.

They could all see that the match was about to start and so focused on the large, theater-size screen.

"Hm... I'm sure this will be a good match."

Both Shana and Inukai were a bit surpsied when they heard how smooth his voice sounded. They did pay attention to what he had said and gave questioning looks.

Dokuji didn't seem to notice their looks and just focused on the screen.

 _So... I might end up on their team..._

* * *

"Alright! We made it this far! We lost once to Kotowari Squad and probably have a slim chance against Ikoma Squad, but we'll show 'em all that we can fight with the best of 'em! And if that's not enough, let's just make sure they can't get as many points!"

Fubuki and Minubuki clapped at their captain's attempt at boosting their moral. It was a nice sentiment, so they would definitely go all out from the begining. Like he had said, they would at least show what they could do as a squad.

Off to the side, Sora smiled over at his squad. It was nice to see them like this after all of the battles they had gone through. Getting this far was proof that they had all worked hard on both outsmarting and outlasting their opponents.

"Now that he has said that... How about we go over the plan once more, Captain?"

Noah nodded his head before looking down at the table where multiple papers lay. They all had things in their current opponents.

"The front fighters are always difficult to deal with, so this time we will be taking out the supports. Once they are out of the way, all we need to focus on is ganging up in the others. Prince, you'll be going after Suzume and Kōji so that the Snipers are out of the picture. Sora, I want you to back her up as much as you can."

"Just leave it to me~"

"Understood."

Noah nodded to the two of them. He then turned his attention to Minubuki before speaking again.

She looked straight at him while pouncing where she stood.

"Minu, we will be taking out Hoshi. Besides Suzume, she is one of Kotowari's supporters. That being said, she is skilled, so we will actually be taking someone big out. She has the moves while Suzume has the experience. That will be a big blow to them."

"And once they are gone? Who will be the next target? Supposing we get that far."

"Kai. He's like Hoshi. At least in the sense that he has the moves. Taking out one of their Attackers is a nice thought. That being said, if we end up finding someone else, that's fine too."

Nodding to himself a bit, Noah grinned at his team.

"Now then. Let's go get some points!"

* * *

"Saaa~ Saaa~ This is honestly something else. Having the pressure of someone watching us so closely so that they can join us... It's honestly not something I had expected. If that was the case then I would gone with a plan that out more spotlight on someone else than me."

"Now, now. There's no need to worry too much, Suzume-senpai. I'm sure Seikaku-kun won't be paying tok much attention to you. To tell you the truth, it would be a lot better if he didn't. That way we know our plan is working. After all, I am suppose to be the bait, correct? The focus should be on me."

"You sound a bit conceited there, Hoshi. Be careful. Although I'll admit that it _does_ make me feel a bit excited to know that we get to be the only squad in all of Border with five Combatants. True, it'll make scoring more points easier for the other teams. But..." Toby grinned as he lifted himself from his spot near Mei's desk. "That just means we need to get to the point of no one being able to touch us to begin with."

"Erotic~"

Takeshi let out a small sigh as he fixed his scarf. He looked over at the rest of the members of Kotowari Squad and couldn't help that they were starting to become more and more like one of the teams they were facing off against.

They did have a plan they would stick too, but that did not mean that the rest of them would stick with the plan the whole way through. It was always foolish to assume that things would always go the way you wanted, so back-up plans and improvising were good things when times like that came.

That wasn't to say that they would stray from the plan at the very beginning. As a team, they were starting to really work well and cover for each other in no time at all.

"Right. We're about to start. Kodera-senpai and Arashiyama-san will be the guest commenters this time around while Kuni-san will be the main girl for the job. Let's make sure they say good things about us from this match."

Suzume let out a small hum as she crossed her arms under her breasts. A small smirk could be seen on her face.

"I guess I really should put on a good show for Shouhei-kun. Although, I should honestly be saying that _you all_ need to do that. I'll be busy making the sets for you all to perform on. As a simple backstage helper, I expect you three to honestly go out there and get a standing ovation."

Toby grinned with a thumbs-up while Hoshi gave a small nod.

Takeshi looked at all three of them and nodded his head to himself. This match would certainly be one that was different from their other ones. They were getting closer to the top, so that meant that they needed to continue pushing forward.

Their target was the A-Rank Tsukiko Yuki, so that meant they needed to beat the ones between him and them. Slowing down was not an option. Neither was taking shortcuts.

Their motives may not have been as noble or important as others, but that meant nothing to them. This was their goal and they would get to it no matter what.

"Let's get started."

* * *

[The stage this time around is one of the cityscapes! Tall buildings everywhere and parks here and there!]

[Shor Squad was the one who picked this area. With so many tall buildings, they must be going for a full Sniper-take-out match. The parks are good spaces for their other two members to battle it out, but against this kind of competition...]

[Ikoma Squad will most likely take down most of the buildings anyways, so that might not matter. Even Kotowari Squad is starting to be known for blasting through buildings to get to their target.]

[Isn't that more just Kotowari?]

* * *

Takeshi let out a small sigh when he heard from Mei what the commentators were saying about him. He had never meant to just blow away buildings, but it had started to become a small habit when he was irritated or when he wanted to get right to his target.

 _What does it even matter...? It's not like I would do this in the actual city... Even I have enough tact..._

 _"Need we remind you about what happened when we were stuck in the mall?"_

Takeshi said nothing more on the subject.

Deciding that it would be batter to focus more on the actual match, Takeshi looked around while trying to keep close to the buildings. He made sure that he was not out of their shadows for more than a few seconds.

"Senpai, if you find any Snipers, pursue them until you take them out. That will he your job for this match. If you happen to finish that, please help out Hoshi."

 _"Roger, roger!"_

"Hoshi, if you encounter an opponent than do one of three things. One: lead them towards either me or Suzume-senpai. Two: keep an eye on them until you think it's fine to strike. Three: wait until Toby's done with his part and do as you please. I leave the choice up to you."

 _"Understood."_

As he continued to run, Takeshi fixed his scarf and looked forward, three Trion orbs appeared by his head.

He could tell that someone was coming closer. The person that was there made Takeshi much more alert than he had been before.

And for good reason.

 _"And you? Will you go after someone?"_

"No."

Takeshi came to an immediate stop.

"I already have someone to fight right now."

There, standing before him, was the captain of Imoma Squad. His hand was already on his blade, ready to draw it and cut everything in his bath in half.

"So Take-chan's first up?"

In an instant, one that Takeshi couldn't keep up with, a large arc-shaped slash sped towards the Shooter, ready to slice him in two.

But...

"Huh?"

That didn't happen.

Ikoma tilted his head as he saw Takeshi standing there, left side facing him.

 _That took more than expected. I should watch out for those and try not to do something like that again, if I can help it._

* * *

[Um... What happened now?]

[From the looks of things... That was Kotowari firing directly at the slash to create an opening for him to pass through. It was small, but it seemed to work.

[From his grades it doesn't look like he's too smart, but that's because he's busy thinking of strategies. Awdry usually mentions that his captain is actually someone who is good at thinking when it comes to things that interest him.]

[So he was already prepared for this kind of thing? How much Trion would it take to do such a thing? As well as get the timing right!]

* * *

 _"That's what they said. Good job getting that praise."_

 _"There is still the matter of dealing with this annoying opponent."_

Suzume let out a small laugh from her spot on a rather large building. From her spot, she could see Takeshi and Ikoma just fine. Her angle was also one that would give her a nice shot right to Ikoma.

But it would not finish him off.

Her job was to take out other Snipers and supporters. That job has never changed, so she kept her finger in the trigger, never firing.

 _I need to make sure that I don't look bad in front of Shouhei-kun. I don't want him to stop looking up to me. Just kidding~_

As she thought to herself, Suzume found a nice target in Oki. It seemed that the boy had yet to notice her, so this was a good change.

"Mei-san, calculations, please."

 _"I suggest you look around for Shirogane for around five seconds before making sure that Oki is still there. Continue this for thirty seconds and then you can determine whether you want to shoot him or not."_

"Thank you very much~"

Doing as she was told, Suzume looked around the area for five seconds before returning her sights to Oki, who had yet to notice her. She continued this for the next thirty seconds before nodding to herself.

"Sorry, Oki-kyun, but I'm sure you understand~"

With a special Sniper Trigger in hand, Suzume took aim and fired.

The shot was quick, a bit quicker than Lightning, so even if he noticed it now there was no way to escape the shot.

"!?"

Or so it should, have been.

When she looked at Oki again, she saw a green shield blocking her attack. It was obvious from the fact that the boy was surpsied that he was not the one to put it up.

That was when she noticed some dots in the sky that started coming down towards her.

 _"Suzume, I've placed a marker near Kōji, go ahead and chase after him. I'm gonna go get to Take."_

Giving a mental thanks to her teammate, Suzume was gone just before the shots of Trion hit her.

* * *

Oki knew to run.

His first though after being saved by someone else was to run away from the spot where he almost got shot. Her knew well that staying there would mean having to face off against a middle finger wrapped in a Scorpion blade.

 _Is it just me...or does she always seem more persistence when it comes to men._

 _"Well I suggest ya make sure that she never hears ya say that or else that shot'll be the least of yer worries."_

Thinking that their Shooter was right, Oki made sure to keep his mouth shut.

As soon as he reach the end of the roof he took a large leap to reach the next one. Once he was in the air he noticed something off.

There was a strange mark on the top of the roof.

"What's-"

Just before he could land, there she was.

"!?"

Oki tried to fix himself while still in the air. Her managed to dodge the strike by tumbling off to the side. He got up and readied his Trigger.

"Hey, hey. Isn't that a bit unfair?"

Suzume just grinned as she held her special Trigger in one hand while having her other hand wrapped in a Scorpion blade.

Now that she was close-up, Oki was able to see her Trigger. It was a rather odd-looking one, but one that seemed to also fit with her. That just made it that much more frightening.

 _Now then... How to get out of this...?_

* * *

 **QOTC:** Does anyone have any complaints. (Plot wise or general)


	53. Hoshi Taiyōko: Part 4

**Chapter 53:** Hoshi Taiyōko: Part 4

* * *

The moment she entered the city, Hoshi ran towards the spot where others were.

With the large buildings around she was able to stealthily maneuver through the shadows and out of plain sight. Even if they wanted to, the opposing Snipers would not have been able to find her from just a quick look.

It was her job to take out the supporters, so that was what should would do. She knew that she was no match for the captain of Ikoma Squad, and would not be able to handle attacks from multiple people, so she wanted to make sure they could not find her.

As ridiculous as it sounds, she felt a bit left out. Takeshi and Toby were out on the front lines while both females were busy behind the scenes. The weight of the blade at her hip seemed to make her feel as if it was just there for decoration.

 _No, no, no! I know that they are relying on me for this job! Suzume-senpai is taking out the other Snipers, so it's my job to take the rest out! Yes! Good job thinking like that, Hoshi! They will be judged by the star!_

She took a moment to stop and think about what was going on in her mind.

 _Maybe I am letting the others influence me more than I thought. ...I should ask someone for some help on the matter._

Nodding to herself, Hoshi continued to run.

Just as she was about to pass by another building...

"I found Taiyōko!"

Someone had spung up from the corner to attack her with his blade.

Not being someone slow, Hoshi grabbed her own blade and blocked the strike. She looked forward and into the eyes of Minamisawa Kai.

Sending a quick message to her teammates, Hoshi focused on her fight.

She slide her blade across her opponent's, making him lose his balance.

In a quick motion she brought up her leg to kick him to the side while a cube of Trion appeared next to her. The cube split up and started firing at the Attacker.

Moving forward was what she needed to focus on, so that meant that she would just use the shots as cover fire while moving closer to her target.

Once she was within range, she took a large step forward from within the smoke she created.

 _A quick strike to finish this!_

He was distracted enough to miss seeing her up close.

"!?"

She jumped back when someone came down on her. It was fast enough to catch her a bit off guard and take a part of her arm.

Something was coming at her from the back and front while she was still trying to get her balance. Defending against that attack with her sword would mean that she would have to lose an arm or leg. Dodging the attack by moving forward would provide the same outcome.

She could only think of one thing to do at a time like this.

 _I have to do it now if I want to stay in this fight!_

Moving without any hesitation, she stabbed her sword into the ground. Placing her hand on the top of the hilt, she leaped into the air while maintaining her balance through the sword.

Once the two attackers noticed this and figured out that they could not stop on time, they prepared to attack each other.

Seeing the change of plans in her opponents, Hoshi stretched one of her legs towards one opponent while doing the same for the other. She used her momentum to kick one of the swords to the ground while the other went into the air.

She kicked Minamisawa away while firing shots off to force Noah to back up.

Both Minamisawa and Noah were a bit surpsied by this. Neither expected her to do such a thing while still in midair.

Once her first foot touched the ground, Hoshi started to spin in place while lowering her body. With her second foot being delayed by a second or so she used it to swipe the hidden third attacker off her feet.

Not being as surpsied by this, Minubuki - who was the third attacker - suck a hand out. She caught herself as she fell and followed the other girl's lead. She spun on her hand to kick Hoshi away.

It worked well enough to force Hoshi away.

 _The two frontal members of Shor Squad have shown up. Engaging in combat with all three of them._

 _"Will you be okay on your own? I can honestly see if I can help out."_

 _No, thank you. I can at least keep them busy while you all do your thing. Just leave it to me!_

 _"We're counting on you."_

Giving herself a quick nod, Hoshi tightened her grip on the blade while looking at each fighter.

 _Now... Let's begin!_

* * *

[Hm? Is it just me or did all of them refuse to use Shields to block those hits?]

[There's a good reason for that.]

Kuni tilted her head a bit while Kodera simply nodded his head.

Seeing the confusion on the Operator's face, Arashiyama continued with a smile.

[There are four people there, so there is a high chance that at least one of them could attack when someone else isn't paying attention. If Taiyōko were to use Shield to defend against any one of those attacks, she would be a main target for others who were just waiting.]

[The same can be said for the ones she was attacking. If Shashin or Shor used Shield then Minamisawa would have a chance to attack them. If Minamisawa used it then Shor or Shashin could get to him.]

[I see, I see. Hehe~ I'm sure someone from my squad would probably never have noticed that. Opps! I said that out loud, didn't I!?]

[Yes. Yes, you did.]

Down below the commentators, Shana was trying to climb up to her team's Operator. The only thing that was stopping her from doing so was Inukai.

Next to them, Dokuji gave a sheepish laugh.

He turned back to the screen and let out a small hum.

 _So she has flexibility and good instincts. She managed to notice that other girl attacking her while the rest of us were paying more attention to Minamisawa and that boy._

He looked over to other parts of the screen to focus on the rest of the people who could be a part of his new team.

* * *

 _...When looking at them head on, all attacks fall into three basic categories: piercing attacks or shots are points, slashes are lines, and area attacks are planes._

Takeshi's former captain had taught him that. Even throws and grappling were points or lines before one was grabbed.

According to his former captain, once one understood that everything fell under those two categories plus the planes created by chunk-shots, the rest was easy.

Points were fast, but one only had to shift the area that would be hit and move forward.

Lines were long, but one only had to duck under that path and move forward.

Planes were wide, but one only had to circle around outside their range and move forward.

The rest was an issue of size and speed, but there were only ever three things to do.

Takeshi couldn't help but to smile a bit from under his scarf.

He hadn't been able to duck under the path of Ikoma's line - the slash - but he _had_ been able to make an opening in that line to survive the attack altogether. That meant he only needed to move forward and strike while he could.

That was just what he did.

Takeshi ran forward, upper-body closer to the ground.

This may have looked odd to some, but it was rather helpful in the current situation. Should Ikoma let out another Senku, Takeshi would be able to get help from Mei and duck under the attack before moving forward once again.

"Hey, hey, hey. Why is Take-chan bein' so forceful now?"

Takeshi said nothing as he moved his right hand to the side.

Two Trion orb moved to either side of Ikoma and started rapid-fire shots while a third one was in front of Takeshi, letting out a continuous laser-like beam.

Overall, it was hard for Ikoma to move around as he pleased. He could still move enough to dodge or block, but that was all. There was never any chance for him to strike using Senku.

"Guess ah should take these orbs out, huh?"

Doing as he said himself, Ikoma jumped back and quickly put his blade away.

It wasn't gone for long as he grabbed it so that he could let out the slash.

The orbs that had been floating on his right was cut in half before exploding.

"They can do that too?"

Not bothering to think about it much, Ikoma twisted himself in the air and cut the second one in half as well.

"Did Kiyo give him a pep-talk before the match or something? Hey, Oki, can ya do something about these balls?"

 _"I'm a bit busy right now. Misaki-chan is chasing me with her new Trigger. By the way, can you put that a different way?"_

"Even during a match you get chased by girls."

 _"An unnecessary comment."_

* * *

Oki let out a small sigh as he looked over his shoulder. There was no way to support his team when someone like her was so close to him. He really didn't want to be the first one to go, so he continued to run in hopes of meeting up with his team.

 _She is very persistent._

He tried to speed up a bit by adding one more step in his run, but that seemed to do nothing since she did the same.

"Hey, wouldn't it be better to go help out your team!? I'm sure Taiyōko-chan is in a pinch!"

"She's fine! No way someone related to Yuki-san would lose that quickly! Besides..."

Oki, not looking behind himself anymore, was surpsied when the female Sniper suddenly appeared in front of him with her blade ready to stab him in the face.

"My job is to make sure you get taken out!"

It was already a known fact that the former Tsukiko Squad and current Kotowari Squad like to use the tactic of "kill off the Snipers with a Sniper" while their other members would go in against the frontal opponents.

It was a strategy that had managed to keep them strong against ones like Arafune Squad.

.

Not seeing a way out of the attack without having to tumble once again, Oki readied himself to defend and make a quick retreat. If he could at least get some distance then he could Bail Out himself and not let her score the point.

 _I have it get the timing right or-_

Before he could finish his thought, something came flying ago them from the side. It went for Suzume, but was blocked by a quickly made, and dense, Shield.

There was only one other person who could perform such an attack without much notice.

* * *

Fubuki hummed as she jumped off the building she had been previously on.

 _"Nice shot, Shirogane-chan."_

 _I hit my mark, but she was ready for it._

 _"Takaoto-san probably informed her that an attack was coming. If not for that then you would have scored us a point."_

With her spot being compromised, Fubuki made a quick escape so that she would not be found. Although, that seemed a bit pointless at this point since everyone seemed to be busy with others. It _was_ a simple thing for Snipers to do, though, so of course she followed through with it.

She got informed on how everything else was going and couldn't help but feel that something was off.

Her trust in her teammates was there, but she also trusted her opponents. She trusted that she knew how they would do things. That being said...

 _Where is Awdry?_

As she ran, Fubuki kept an eye on the two opposing Snipers. She also started speaking to her teammates.

"Captain, you've faced off against Awdry enough times. What could he be doing at a time like this? His captain is facing off against a strong Attacker while their support is being outnumbered by you guys. Only their Sniper is fine."

 _"GAH! Huh!? Oh! Now that you mention it, I haven't actually seen Toby around here!"_

Fubuki could only sigh at her captain.

There was nothing she could do about someone she could not find. He did not show up on Radar, so that was out if the question.

He had always been known as someone who was always in the front of a fight. He would take and deliver hits, so seeing him somewhere other than the battlefield was a bit odd. That being said, she couldn't even find him to say that he was not there.

This made things much more difficult.

* * *

The battle being fought between the single girl, single boy, and two members of the same team seemed to be never ending. It was easy enough to switch opponents, although, with Shor Squad having the advantage in numbers, it was difficult to handle all of them.

Quick movements were the theme of this fight as multiple times one person tried to strike before having to dodge or block another person.

This fight was exactly as it seemed with almost no chance of backup coming from any if the Snipers or other members. They all knew what was going on with almost everyone else on the battlefield. If anything, this was a match that was being fought on three fronts. Each one having their own difficulties.

The only thing was...

 _There!_

There was no way to properly target someone when there was always the threat of someone else going for your head.

Hoshi felt the pressure from all of this. She had done research on their opponents and knew what to expect from these three. Noah and Minamisawa had fought against Toby multiple times, so close-range fighting was something they were good at while Minubuki had assisted Tsukiko Squad in the latest invasion, managing to hold on one of the Neighbors.

Here she was, alone and fighting against such opponents. True, she had scored a point before by taking out Border's #4 Attacker, but that was under different circumstances. Right here and now, she was caring off against three opponents in broad daylight.

Even so...

 _"Hoshi, continue moving back by two buildings then go to the side."_

 _Right!_

She was certainly alone on this front, but that didn't mean she did not have any assistance at all. The squad's Operator had been continuing to help her out through this fight.

Doing as she was told, she moved back until she passed the second building behind her. She saw the other three subly moving towards her and brought her blade up to block an attack from Minubuki.

In once strong push she managed to move the girl back before jumping to the side.

 _"There. That should be good. Go ahead and let it go."_

Nodding to herself, Hoshi focused on her three targets.

The three were getting closer to her so that they could get her into the mix as well.

 _Now!_

Something got the attention of the three other Combatants. They moved away from each other and noticed something odd.

Seven bright lights.

Left, right, forward, backwards, above, below, right between them all. That was where the seven bright lights were. Once they got a better look they all noticed exactly what they were.

Each one had the same thought come to mind.

 _When did she do this!?_

Hoshi took a large jump back as the lights started firing at the three.

A barrage from all directions was unleashed upon the three of them as Hoshi stood back and watched.

It was a trap that she and their Operator had come up with on the spot. It seemed effective since he three opponents did not seem to notice it until they had been caught within the trap.

She looked forward to see that both Noah and Minubuki brought up a strong defense to handle the attack. Minamisawa was having some trouble dodging them all, but he managed to come out with just a few hits on him.

 _Ah. It was rather hastily made. Not really surpassing that they made it through that. Although it did help to lower their Trion._

Nodding to herself, Hoshi got ready for the next phase of the fight.

* * *

Takeshi continued to move forward.

His opponent was not someone who would back down from a fight, so moving forward was a rather good plan. The only issue that came up was the fact that he would always be withing range if the dangerous blade.

Although, if he would be withing range regardless, moving forward would mean he would have a better time attacking.

 _Senpai seems to have a lock on Oki-senpai and Hoshi is in a battle royal with Shor Squad and one of the two remaining Ikoma members..._

"Toby, how much longer do you think it'll take?"

 _"Around a minute and a half. Sorry for the long wait. I'm no use to this kind of thing yet."_

"That's fine. I'd rather you do your job correctly than in a sloppy manner."

Takeshi needed to hold out for only a minute and a half. That was something he could manage. That was probably why Toby said it would take that long. A minute and a half would mean that there was just that much time he would have to move forward before his spotlight would be taken away.

He wasn't worried about something trivial like that, though. No, the reason issue was...

 _To the right._

Two Trion orbs appeared with one at Takeshi's right and one at his left as he continued to fire with his third one. The two Trion orbs that had just appeared flew through the air, but not at Ikoma.

Multiple green shots were fired right at Takeshi from the right. So the two Trion orbs that had appeared flew through the air and hit each one.

Instead of being destroyed, though, the orbs continued to fly and take out one shot after another. Any shot that made it through was blocked by Takeshi's Shield.

* * *

[There's the missing member of Ikoma Squad! He has been hiding this whole time, and now he had appeared!

[It was smart of Kotowari to fire shots right before the orbs made contact with the shots. That way the incoming shots would be taken down while his orbs wouldn't.]

[It leaves him a bit open, but I'm sure that he has already planned for that. From what we have seen so far, he really has come up with a way to deal with the more troublesome problems of this match.]

* * *

Mizukami let out a sigh as he jumped down next to his captain. There was no point in hiding when both Ikoma and Takeshi would just destroy any and all buildings around them.

"Damn. I thought I could get the drop on 'em since he seemed so focused on ya."

"Hey... Do ya know when Take-chan got so serious? He's a lot less kid-cute like this."

"He's always been like this. You just never fought against him like this. It's probably because of Kiyoshi. Blame him for all of this trouble."

"Really? Hm... I can see that. Right. I'll just blame Kiyo all the way for this less kid-cute Tale-chan."

Takeshi stared up at the two on the roof of one of the buildings. Three Trion-made orbs continued to float around him as he waited. He could hear exactly what the two were saying and tried his best to not just fire off his strongest hits at them. He knew that they were luring him into some kind of trap, and instead just saying whatever.

 _That's just what makes it even worse. Hm. I really want to just shoot them now._

 _"Be careful of what you say, Take. That sounds like something the 'kid-cute Take-chan' would say~"_

 _I'll shoot you next, Dog._

 _"Can the two of you just focus on the match once again?"_

Takeshi let out a small sigh of irritation.

He wasn't waiting for his opponents to make an attack or stop talking. He was waiting for his own teammate to be done with preparations.

 _Just a few more seconds..._

* * *

[...]

[Hm? Is something wrong, Arashiyama-san? You look really in thought? Something I didn't notice?]

[No, no. It's not that. I'm just wondering where Toby is during all of this. He is definetly not the type who would sit back and watch everything happen. Each person in Kotowari Squad has a specific area of expertise. He is no exception.]

[Really now...?]

Kodera decided to speak up for the explaination when he noticed Kuni's mild confusion.

[It's probably because you've been busy with your squad that you haven't noticed. Misaki is the one who, despite being a Sniper, doesn't actually support her team right away. She is always suppose to go after the opposing Snipers first. Even though she's new, and because if that, Taiyōko is their real support. Kotowari and Awdry are their main attack force. Awdry more so.]

[Yeah. Takeshi is meant to support Toby when he can. He can always fight on his own, but those two always work well together.]

[So having just one of them fighting while the other isn't there is odd. Right?]

[Exactly. I'm not the only one who has noticed.]

Arashiyama motioned to the large screen.

Everyone looked on the screen to see that any agent who wasn't on Kotowari Squad was being a more more cautious. It was clear as day that they all worried about where Toby was.

No one could spot him on the battlefield or any of the cameras.

So where was he?

* * *

QOTC: Do you like battle royals?


	54. Takeshi Kotowari: Part 3

**Chapter 54:** Takeshi Kotowari: Part 3

* * *

"Hm?"

Mizukami looked down at Takeshi, seeming to be looking for something.

Even if there were two members of Ikoma Squad standing there, that didn't mean they had the win. Well, it at least wouldn't be an easy win. It wasn't that he was thinking poorly of Takeshi, it was just that there was an obvious gap between him and them.

As he thought about these things he noticed something rather important.

"He's missing two orbs."

Just as he said that, the roof they had been standing on collapsed, causing both Ikoma and Mizukami to fall. It sent alarms going off that made the two look around to find something through the smoke and debris.

What they were looking for came into view for Mizukami. A small green dot could be seen that made the two to try and put up a defense against it. Mizukami was a bit slow and ended up losing a part of his hand.

"Watch out. He has the two orbs hidden around here."

As he moved to get out of the smoke, Mizukami noticed that now there was a piece of gray that was barely visible through the smoke. The whole team's color was gray. It was a type of gray that made them not stand out much when around other things.

He got a cube of Trion ready in his hand and threw it towards the piece of gray.

"..."

"Did you get him?"

"I think-"

Once the smoke started to clear, the two were able to see that the piece of gray was certainly Takeshi's scarf, but...

"Just his scarf!?"

The two quickly brought up a Shield each as a laser-like beam was fired from behind the floating scarf, destroying it in the process.

 _"Behind you!"_

Hearing the voice of their squad's Operator, Ikoma and Mizukami turned around just in time for Takeshi to suddenly appear in front of Mizukami with a single Trion orb in front of him.

Without a single word, Takeshi fired a large laser from the orb in front of him. It took both the Attacker and Shooter's Shields to hold it off.

 _It's Gimlet. Really need some distance right now._

Ikoma reacted from behind their defense by grabbing Kōgetsu. It would be so simple to just cut everything in front if him in half. Mizukami was a bit behind him, so there wasn't much worry about cutting him up.

A single instance was all he needed.

"Nope!"

Ikoma felt something push on the butt of the hilt and leaned back as something sped by his head, almost decapitating him.

.

Knowing that his attack missed, Toby stuck his foot out to catch himself. He spun his whole body on his heel to use his other leg as a weapon against the older Attacker.

This attack didn't land either.

Not minding that fact, Toby was gone in the blink of an eye and appeared right in front of Ikoma with two blades in hand.

Using as much force as he could, he brought both blades down, only to be blocked by a much more sturdy blade.

"Aster-"

"..."

He didn't need to know what was going behind him.

His Side Effect would have let him dodge whatever type of shot Mizukami threw at him, but that would then free up Ikoma. Knowing that his captain had stopped that attack from coming made Toby grin a bit.

As he continued to push against the sturdier blade, he noticed a hand going for his head. Without using his Side Effect, he jumped back while throwing two blades at Ikoma.

Ikoma easly dodge them.

"Let me pet you already!"

"Stop trying to pet me! I'm not a dog!"

* * *

No one said anything. Some stared while others looked really confused. As for the three commentators...

[So... Um...]

[He really is adamant about that...]

[Should he really be focused on that?]

Kuni gave a sheepish laugh while the other two gave varying reactions. Arashiyama rubbed the back of his neck while Kodera tried to hide behind the glare of his glasses.

It was rather hard to comment on seeing someone want to pet another person's head like an animal during the middle of a fight. Even if it _was_ Ikoma, it was still odd to just see him try and pet Toby.

In the seats below the two blond's were laughing at the sight. Next to them, the third person tilted his head in confusion.

[Well... To be fair... Awdry _does_ have that kind of feeling to him. I can see why he would want to pet him.]

[Ahem! Anyways! It looks like we have a new fight with Captain Ikoma going at it with Agent Awdry! This is pretty interesting since they both focus more on just attacking their opponents and not coming up with strategies!]

Some of them had to give it to Kuni for trying to divert things from the obvious oddity that they were seeing before them all.

The other two commentators were also giving her some credit.

[Good job.]

* * *

Toby grinned as he continued to dodge the strikes going for him. He knew that there was no way that Ikoma would try to use Senku when Toby could use that small instance to get close and cut him down. It was a simple fact that Toby was one of people who was rather light on his feet.

He used his agility to maneuver around the attacks without using Trion for Teleport or Shield. Each step seemed to be getting more and more silent, making it harder to pinpoint when they would hit the ground.

That being said, it was also getting a bit hard for him to actually land a hit when Ikoma was also very skilled.

 _Damn. I wanna check on Take but there's no way he'll let me do that. Actually... He probably would if I asked..._

Shaking his head a bit, Toby bent his back to dodge another strike from Kōgetsu. He continued to bend back until his hands touched the ground. He fixed himself so that he was on his hands while he brought his legs up with one kicking the Kōgetsu away so the other could have a chance to cut Ikoma.

Ikoma moved back and turned fully with the direction his sword was kicked. He used his momentum to deliver a harder strike.

This certainly was a case of speed verses power. While Ikoma could easily cleave Toby in half, the latter could move around the attack and let out a barrage of small ones. What mattered here was who could manage the better hit.

.

 _Toby, I'm fine. Focus on Ikoma-san. I can deal with Mizukami-senpai._

Takeshi took a glance to see his teammate give him a small nod.

One-on-one fights were not the way he usually went about things, but right now was different. With both teams having their Shooters and Attacks fighting, it was best to go against the same kind of fighter.

He knew that there was no way he would be able to keep up with Ikoma for as long as Toby can, so taking on someone he could possibly hold off against was the best course of action. With his own shots being able to take on Mizukami's there was no doubt that he could manage on his own here.

Even so...

"..."

Mizukami knew well just how good Takeshi was with his special lasers.

Both Shooters knew what to do against each other, so that made it more difficult.

There was something Takeshi could do at any time to chance that up, but he had little faith in himself to accomplish that kind of thing. If he ended up messing up then that left his team with one less person fighting.

Their team had four Combatants in it, one of the opposing teams had four Combatants, and their other opposing team had three. Even if the two teams with four people fighting had the advantage in numbers compared to the three-person team, they also had an extra person that could end up losing and letting the opponents score an extra point.

Takeshi definitely did not want to be the reason why his team had barely lost because of a point or two.

He was their official captain after all.

Even if being captain did not mean much to the team as a whole, he did not take that title lightly.

 _I must stay calm and think things through to the smallest detail. Let's go over the battle currently going on. The two of us are over here on the northern part of the area. I am taking on Mizukami-senpai, who seems to be getting the better of me._

He took a quick glance over at Toby.

 _Toby seems to be holding off against Ikoma-san well enough. His Side Effect will help him to dodge those attacks like nothing, but that will also force his body to move in a way he might not want to go. That could put him at a disadvantage at some point._

He looked on the map provided to see where his other two teammates were located.

 _Hoshi is over in the southern part of the area with Shor, Shashin-san, and Minamisawa. She is fighting alone, but seems to at least be holding them off. Mei-san is helping her with that._

He found his last teammate.

 _Suzume-senpai is currently chasing Oki-senpai. Shirogane-san should be trying to get the both of them as well. She should be fine by herself. Even so... I don't want to leave her alone._

He was getting a bit frustrated.

Even going through everything, everyone was so far from each other that the only person he could properly help was Toby. Even that would be a small thing. He might even end up messing the Attacker up.

What was there to do?

Mizukami was more experienced than he was, and probably had more Trion than him. If this became a war of attrition then he would lose.

That would put his team at a disadvantage.

It might even make his team, and possible teammates, think less of him.

That would not be good.

 _"Takeshi!"_

Hearing a voice yell in his head so suddenly made him jump a bit.

He glanced over at Toby to see the brunet moving a bit quicker than the last time he looked.

 _"What the hell are you doing? You're slowing down! Satoshi just got your hand! No way would you let that happen! Pay attention to the fight!"_

He hadn't realized it but it was true. He looked down at his right hand and saw that he was missing his ring and pinky fingers.

When had that happened?

Was it when he was thinking about stupid things?

 _"Do you honestly want my help? I can take a few shots before going after Oki-kun again."_

 _"Ah! Do you need assistance, Takeshi-kun!? I'm sorry, I didn't know!"_

 _"Don't forget you have teammates, Takeshi. I'm also sorry for not noticing. I was paying attention to Hoshi. I'll make it up to you later."_

They were all worried about him.

They were all asking him if he needed help.

They were all ready to turn their backs on their opponents just to help someone pitiful like him.

"..."

As he continued to fire his recently laser beams at Mizukami, Takeshi reached up to fix his scarf with his hand that was missing two fingers.

"?"

He had forgotten.

His scarf had been a decoy to attack his opponents.

He had used his beloved scarf so that his team had a better chance at winning.

"Sorry... I'm fine..." He steeled his resolve and moved his hand to the side. "Senpai, please continue taking out the Snipers. Hoshi, Mei-san, please take out those three fighters. Toby... Shouldn't you be paying more attention to Ikoma-san? I really can't just look away for a few seconds before you start doing stupid things again."

He walked a few steps forward while lifting his left arm high into the air.

A very small smile appeared on his face.

"Everyone, score as many points as possible."

 _"Roger, Captain!"_

.

Mizukami could see Takeshi speaking lowly for only his teammates to hear.

He still thought he had the advantage since he managed it get a hit off the younger Shooter before he got him himself.

 _I don't know what's goin' on with 'em, but I'll just use that to ma advantage. Might as well score an easy point._

He had thought about firing at Toby a few times, but he knew that Takeshi would use that chance to fire more at him. That would certainly make things worse than they are already.

 _Guess I'll just deal the finishing-_

Mizukami went a bit wide-eyed when he saw Takeshi raise his arm high into the air before disappearing from his spot.

"Viper."

He looked up to see Takeshi bring his arm down as what looked to be shining stars rained down upon him.

Knowing that Viper was usually used with a set pattern in mind, he jumped to the side.

"That should-"

The instant he saw the shots make a sharp turn before hitting the ground he brought up a defense to block the shots.

The shots spread out before hitting the Shield and sped by him, into a nearby building.

 _He still can't get it right._

But that could have ended badly if Takeshi didn't mess up.

 _I need to take him out right now._

When the opponent became as difficult as Ikoma when it came to certain aspects then it was easy to figure out that it was better to win quickly with a few hits than to drag it out.

That was exactly what he would do.

.

Takeshi ran forward with no regard about the attacks going towards him.

He fired two lasers from the Trion orbs by his head.

He used the lasers as a cover to defend himself from the shots being fired at him.

He had given up completely on making a plan ahead of time and decided to make one up on the spot. It was something that his teammates would do, and not something he would ever think of doing, but this was different.

If making plans beforehand got him into a mess then he would just have to improvise.

 _There._

With one more step, he teleported from in front of Mizukami to behind the older one.

A cube of Trion appeared at his side.

The cube split up.

 _Viper!_

With the mental exclamation, he let loose the barrage of shots that would be difficult for most people to dodge so close up.

* * *

[Whoa! Captain Kotowari looks like he's really going at it now! And is he trying to make a new way for Shooters to fight!? Incredible!]

[Hahaha... He doesn't have many good influences around him, does he...?]

[Is it just me...or does this squad have a bunch of up-close people? Even when two of their members are distance fighters...]

[They certainly like to make things personal, don't they? Maybe this gives them a more satisfying feeling when they score point. Every squad has their thing.]

* * *

Toby grinned as he heard the noises close by.

The sound of his teammate, captain, and friend going at it like crazy was something amazing. It was something he never thought he would hear in a such a free form manner.

There had always been a line dividing the two of them. One of them was energetic and wild while the other liked to stay quiet without having much of an expression. One of them ran into battle with little regard to how he would do while the other would look over everything to come up with a plan. That line seemed to have been crossed seeing as how the two of them were currently going on a rampage against their opponents.

Toby ran forward on light feet with a grin on his face.

Ikoma pushed forward with his Kōgetsu.

Toby lowered his upper-body to dodge the attack.

 _First step is silent!_

He didn't need to see the blade to know that it was coming back only seconds after going over his head.

His Side Effect moved his body to the side. Using one leg, he landed before pushing forward and moving behind Ikoma.

 _Second step to gain power!_

Once he was completely behind Ikoma he used both his feet to push forward. The momentum from moving around the small area gave him some extra power that he used to tackle Ikoma.

 _The third step is to cover distance!_

He had done it multiple times before, in his real body. Many people had fallen victim to the rather powerful tackle before, each worrying about their bones. Some had even heard cracks before.

It was Toby's famous "run, jump and hope not to break any bones" attack that many agents had felt with before. Only three times had it ever been messed up and actually hurt people.

He had never used it in an actual battle since there was never a need. This time was different. This time he was happy about how everything was turning out, giving him more of a reason to use it.

 _I've never used it on Tatsuhito before, so of course he wouldn't get how I do it! He didn't notice how I was moving!_

At some point the more skilled agents like Tachikawa and Minoru had learned just how Toby would move whenever her attacked them with this move. His feet were always so light that it was difficult to hear him rushing towards them. When they finally noticed him he was already half-way through his second step. That was when they saw him push forward. By the time he was done with the third step they could only brave themselves for impact.

For someone who had never seen it happen, or get hit by it, it would be difficult to know what exactly was going on.

Toby continued to grin as he rolled around a bit with Ikoma in his arms.

After a few more rolls he stuck out his arm and leg to get ready for another attack. His foot was used as a sort of spring to push himself up while his arm pushed Ikoma away from him.

Once he was up, he quickly became airborne while throwing two blades at Ikoma.

The older attacker continued the roll to dodge the two blades.

 _I honestly can't believe you just did that. Screw it. In my next doujinshi you two are fu-_

 _"Aren't you suppose to be following someone? Pay attention to that and let me have some fun. Take is really going out if his way to fight so I'm just going to have some extra fun with my chew toy."_

 _See? It's stuff like that that makes me ship you idiots with people. Do you realize what kind of scenario I can make when you say something like that after forcing Ikoma-san to the ground?_

 _"I may be helping Hoshi out, but I can still hear you two. Both of you, shut up and focus. Suzume, I've already written that down, so just focus on taking out the Snipers. Toby, if you're going to have fun then you might as well enjoy it to the fullest."_

Seeing his opponent get up again, after blocking two more blades, Toby let out a small laugh.

He enjoyed this. This kind of fight that had some stakes involved, yet wasn't the end of the world. An invasion meant he had to get serious, solo matches were more laid back. Rank War matches was a sort of mix between the two that he loved with a passion.

He lowered his body once more, making him look more like wolf ready to pounce.

He bared his teeth in a grin while pulling out two Scorpion blades.

He moved forward with incredible speed and light feet.

* * *

Takeshi noticed some time ago that they were gaining distance from the two Attackers and were now just facing off against each other.

Green lights flew through the air in one direction before moving towards another direction. A beautiful light show was above the two of them while they did their own dance of moving forward and moving back.

Each time Mizukami fired shots, Takeshi shot them down without much issue.

Each time Takeshi moved forward, Mizukami moved back to gain distance.

The two of them seemed like performers who had a set routine down. They moved perfectly and without much delay. This was not how a fight between Shooters should have been, yet they managed it while also having their actual fight be apparent.

Takeshi continued to fire actual shots while his laser-like beams continuously fired to try and take the older one out. As this was going on the Shooter himself was moving forward to get up close for an attack.

The amount of Trion he was using in this frontal attack was surprising and unexpected. Yet he somehow managed it, giving Mizukami a good feel of how much Trion he would have to burn through.

Mizukami made sure to be the same distance from Takeshi at all times. As long as he was far away he could shoot while dodging. Any attack from up close, especially from Takeshi right now, would cause a lot of issue.

The continued to run around to shorten the distance and enlarge the distance. They moved in synch to try and outmatch each other.

That was until a move way made.

Takeshi had stopped firing off his laser-like beams and released one of the orbs by his head.

He took a large step forward while firing more shots.

 _Teleport._

He appeared behind Mizukami with a cube of Trion next to him.

At point blank it would be hard for anyone to really dodge.

That went for Takeshi as well.

A cube appeared next to Mizukami as well.

The two cubes split up before firing forward and behind respectively. Each one had a clear target that was not moving anywhere but forward.

As the shots hit each other, and the Shooters moved forward and backwards, a few more shots were sent towards the ground. With the ground being cracked from earlier attacks, the shots hit what was under it with an explosion.

Their visions were blocked by what flew into the air.

With their sight being blocked they had to be careful where they shot or unexpected things may happen.

That was exactly why Mizukami was slowly moving around.

He saw something going towards him when it was only a few feet away from hitting him. There was a small window to escape, so he took it.

Once he was clear and he could see again he jumped back before going up. He landed on one of the buildings while trying to get his bearings.

 _"Are ya still messing around with Awdry?"_

 _He won't stay still. It's hard to get to 'em like this._

 _"I would help but Take-chan is going crazy right now. I need to kill 'em now."_

As soon as he was done speaking with his captain, he saw it.

He saw a Shooter running towards him like an Attacker.

 _What is wrong with this team!?_

.

Takeshi had to admit that he was a bit ashamed of himself right now.

He was trying something he has never done before. That was fine in its own right. The reason he was ashamed was because this attack was what his dog-like teammate does.

 _How did it go again...?_

He ran forward without firing any shots.

 _Something like... First silent step._

Mizukami had fired shots at him while trying to move back.

He ran under the attacks while moving to the side.

 _Second step...infinite? No. It was power._

He pushed forward with one foot, gaining a sudden burst of speed that surprised Mizukami.

There was not enough room for his opponent to properly move away from the building he was standing on.

 _Third step...absolute?_

Deciding not to think about it any more than necessary, Takeshi moved forward with large and powerful steps. With each one he pushed off the ground to gain bursts of speed.

Once he took the third step, he was in front of Mizukami.

With his slightly increased physical power, he ran right into Mizukami, sending both of them off of the building and towards the ground.

Takeshi wrapped his arms around Mizukami so that he could not escape.

With the two of them being so close it was obvious what was going to happen.

 _Now!_

They both created cubes of Trion.

Mizukami shot straight through Takeshi while the other's went into the air.

Thinking he had won, Mizukami got ready to smash into the ground then help his captain.

"!?"

It took a moment for him to register what had just happened.

The shots had been fired, he had taken out his opponent, so why then was his body starting to break apart as a gaping hole let air through his body.

 _He used 'imself as a decoy._

A laser-like beam had shot through Takeshi's body to reach Mizukami's.

Now both of them had hols in their bodies while they started cracking.

Simultaneously the two turned to light.

 **Bail Out**

 **Bail Out**

The two lights flashed across the sky, signifying two loses.

* * *

QOTC: Who is your favorite Shooter? (Canon or Oc)


	55. American Trio: Part 2

**Chapter 55:** American Trio: Part 2

* * *

Takeshi let out a small sigh as he sat up. He felt his scarf around his neck and took in the smell it had.

Wordlessly, he got up and walked over to Mei, looking mainly at the computer screen. From there he could see the locations of everyone. Where Toby was fighting Ikoma, where Hoshi was involved in a battle royal, where Suzume was chasing Oki. It was all displayed there.

 _"Nice job, Take! You took out Satoshi!"_

 _"I'll honestly give you a treat later for getting our first point of this match. Then I will punish you for making us lose a point first."_

 _"I'm sure you did well, Takeshi-kun. You can leave the rest up to us now, okay?"_

There was something about hearing all of this that made him lift his scarf a bit more to cover his face.

Mei, without needing to turn around, started to speak as well. Her tone was more monotone than usual, but the feelings behind the words were there.

"I'm proud of you, Takeshi. You're trying things you never would have done before. You are growing in such a nice way now."

He lifted his scarf to cover his face.

He had decided to just do as he pleased for once and go crazy with his fight. The odds of him actually winning that fight were slim, but he knew that he could rely on Toby to keep Ikoma busy for him. He used that trust to both lose and score a point for his team.

Now all that was left was for his teammates to score the other points.

"Ikoma-san really is an issue. What are the odds of Toby defeating him?"

"Very slim. But that is without your help. Thanks to you, his chances went up by ten percent."

Takeshi have a nod, remembering what he had done.

 _You better score us a point, Toby._

* * *

"That sucks. Kotowari-senpai and Mizukami-senpai got taken out. At least it was a nice way to go out."

"Yeah, but those two lunatics are still in it! Hey, how crazy do you think Iko-san will make him!? I mean, Awdry's already really crazy, think how much more he can become after facing off against an opponent like this!"

"Yuki-san, have you fought against Ikoma-san before?"

Yuki looked up from the paperwork in front of him to pay attention to the one talming to him.

He had decided to get some things done for his former teacher while also keeping track of his former squad and their progress in the B-Rank Wars. He could see the television not too far away with all of Tenryū Squad watching with close interest.

The one who had spoken directly to him was Mori Kirisame, or just Ame. The calm boy was looming back at him, finding less interesting in the match since the two Shooters had been taken out.

"Yeah. I've flight against him before. It was irritating, but I managed. As someone who had the least amount of points when it came to using Kōgetsu, it was troublesome facing someone like him. Every time I fired at him, he would cut down my attacks. If I got too close then I would be well within his striking range and would have no way of escaping. Basically, he put me in such a difficult and irritating situation."

"But Yuki-san, couldn't you just dodge using Teleport? And you use so many Triggers that just using Shooter-types and Kōgetsu could easily be swapped out!"

"True, but remember that I also had to grow over time to get things right. I wasn't as capable then as I was now."

"...Did you...win...?"

All of their attention went to the third member of Tenryū Squad - Tenryū Shokubutsu. He had not spoken up until now, never finding a real need to do so. Now that he had, they wanted to know what he would say.

"Hm~ Yeah. I had to pull some weird stuff, but I manged to win."

The three by the television looked at him in a bit of amazement. It was rather adorable to see the three of them with stars in their eyes for having heard that he defeated one of Border's best Attackers.

He gave them a smile before looking down at the papers in front of him.

Before he could start up his work again, he heard the sound of his former teacher walking in and speaking to him. His tone was unsure and his body language showed perfectly how he didn't want to say anything.

"Yuki, can I talk to you in private?"

Yuki gave a questioning look before getting up and following Akasora out of the room. From the corner of his eye he could see the three looking at the screen once more.

* * *

To say that this fight was not hard would be a lie. To say that it was not fun would also be a lie.

Toby always found that the tougher the fights, the more fun he had. These kinds of fights let him really go crazy and enjoy himself without feeling the need to hold back a bit so he could enjoy the fight.

It was just unfortunate that he was in the B-Rank Wars or he would enjoy the fight even more. Then again, that fact may also be why he was enjoying himself. With people there to watch him and his skills may have made him feel even more happy. To know that people were watching him keep up with someone like Ikoma made him feel a great amount of pride.

With the losing of their former captain and ace, his team had to adapt by making one of them the new captain. That spot had been filled by Takeshi. That left a new, more unofficial spot open for one of them to take up. The spot of ace.

Suzume had never been one to care for that stuff, even though she could easily manage it, and Mei was their Operator, not one of their Combatants. That left the two boys to bicker between each other. Although, it was not a hard choice.

Toby was far better than Takeshi. People would not expect to hear that since the latter seemed to have such a better time dealing with things by using his laser-like beams to attack. Meanwhile Toby had only been using Scorpion and Teleport for his fights. Besides those two Triggers his slots had not been filled up at all, yet he was as strong as he was.

He only got better over time, and once Hoshi joined their team, he was using multiple Triggers that easily put him in the spot of ace. His Side Effect outclassed Suzume's for the reason that he didn't need to even know his opponent to use it, his natural intellect made him better at thinking through things in the middle of a fight than Takeshi, and his timing for using a certain Trigger made him better than Hoshi, someone who assisted in the creation of a good amount of his Triggers. All of this allowed him to take the spot as their ace.

As their ace, he continue to improve himself in any way he could. The amount of solo matches he had increased and the overall amount of teamwork he could manage grew. He could proudly say that he could work well with any of his teammates now, even people who weren't his teammates would be viable options for him.

That was why he felt that, even after all his growth, if he couldn't at least keep up with someone like Ikoma then he would have wasted a good amount of his time.

.

 _This sucks! I'm so much fun! But this is a match... Fine, fine, Take, I get it!_

Toby felt his irritating spike at the idea of having to end this wonderful fight, but he knew that he couldn't risk the chance of losing when they were so close to the top.

They had someone to catch up to and he wouldn't be the one to hold them back on that.

He moved to the side while twisting his feet to give himself some spin. A regular sword slash was heading for him and he wanted to dodge the attack instead of teleporting away or blocking. With the threat of Senku being nullified, he felt that there was no reason to have to keep a good distance from this guy.

There were moments to fight for a win and fight for fun. Toby knew that well enough, which was why he decided to dodge the attack and keep track of what was in the sky.

 _It's going to miss. The line it's following is scattered all over the place instead of a single area. Which means I just have to use it for what it is._

"Whatcha lookin' at?"

"Look up and find out!"

"I'll look up if ya let me pet ya!"

"Pet me and I'll bite your hand off!"

As the two idiots continued their mindless back-and-forth, the thing in the sky finally reached them and rained down upon them. There was no single target for the attack and it was far too spread out to be considered a concentrated attack. It felt more like a random shot fired into the sky.

Yet Toby used it.

Multiple shots came down on them, courtesy of his captain, and smashed into the buildings around them, as well as the ground.

Dust and debris flew into the air. The blocked their visions considerably and only allowed for small windows to attack.

Even so, Toby ran forward as if there was nothing in his way.

 _Knowing him like I do..._

* * *

Kirigiri Kazekiri had recently made B-Rank with his friends and was a member of the Yagura Branch. His choice of Trigger had been Scorpion, so he had a lot of respect for other users. Watching Toby, someone who had befriended him long ago, go at it with Ikoma was enough to get him bouncing around.

Ame seemed irritated by all the bouncing while Shobu gave a small smile at his friend's hyperactive bouncing.

"Sit down already. You're making me dizzy."

"How can I!? This is the final part of their fight! I just know it! You saw what happened, right!? Kotowari must have fired some shots before getting taken out, now those shots are helping Toby!"

"Yes, yes, I figured that out already. Even so, that doesn't mean this is the end of their fight. Knowing those two, it's probably the middle of it."

"...No..."

Both Kaze and Ame turned to their captain and friend to see him looking at the screen.

"...This is...the end... ...It will...end with a...win from-"

* * *

Toby felt his body move on its own.

He had never fought against his body when it wanted to move away from an attack since it would cause him to stall for a moment and end up immobile for a few seconds. Those few seconds could always he used by his opponents to cut him down. So when his body moved, he went along with it.

His lowered his body closer to the ground as he ran.

He saw why his body made him do so.

A large section of the smoke and debris that had been blocking his view had been cut to create a path in it, allowing people on either side to see through it.

 _Now!_

Since he could not see through it all, he could use Teleport to move closer.

He was in front of Ikoma right away.

The Kōgetsu user was already drawing his blade by the time he appeared with a single Scorpion blade in hand.

Even so, he didn't spot.

 _Grasshopper!_

A blue plate appeared behind his foot. He stepped back on it within the small amount of time he had and raced forward.

The moment Ikoma swung his blade, Toby sped by him.

* * *

[That attack did it.]

[I...really couldn't tell. Everything happened way too fast for me to tell!]

[Just trust me. One of them is going to Bail Out now.]

.

Down below, Inukai watched with a grin while the two on his sides nodded a few times.

"Yup. Looks like he got the point. Although, that may be his last one. A hit like that will make it so he can't really go around anymore."

* * *

"Ya copied Kiyo."

Ikoma's head spoke as he fell to the ground.

"He told me what happened in your fight with him."

Trion erupted from Toby's back as a large slash could be seen.

The two of them had manged to land fatal hits on each one. The only difference was...

"Bail Out."

While Ikoma had been forced to Bail Out due to his head coming off, Toby initiated Bail Out of his own free will. One of the teams would gain a point while the other two teams would miss out on scoring a point.

.

Toby grinned to himself as he landed on the mat inside of Kotowari Squad's room.

The fight he just had was amazing and fun, which meant he had no problems when the time came to end it. It was annoying to have had to end it, but it was worth it. It meant that they were a point closer to catching up to their former captain.

"Up we go!"

With one move he was on his feet and walking towards Mei and Takeshi. Their voices could be heard in the other room, so he followed it until they were clear in his ears.

They didn't look toward him or address him in any way. All they did was speak out loud, knowing that he could hear them.

"So, should we say anything?"

"I don't think so. It's better to leave him in the dark."

"If you say so."

Toby could feel his eye twitch a bit as he walked forward. He let the comments go since one of them was Mei and the other had managed to score a point on Ikoma Squad, as well help him score a point.

Instead of firing off a comeback, he looked at the screens to see how his other two teammates were doing. What he saw was..

"What the hell is going on there...?"

* * *

One after another, buildings fell to the ground. The ground shook and the air was filled with smoke and debris. In the middle of all this chaos was a single girl holding a blade. Coming off of the blade could only be described as ribbons of light.

The girl walked through it all as if it was nothing out of the ordinary, giving her a rather cool appearance.

At the same time...

 _"What the hell is going on!? He's destroying every buildings around her!"_

 _"Hahaha! It's fun, isn't it!? She's goes as wild as her teammates! She's no a princes but a fire breathing dragon!"_

Noah and Minubuki kept their guards up as the girl rushed them from inside the middle of the chaos and a boy rushed them from the back. With there being two of them, it was obvious that they would be the main targets.

Even so, the American had to wonder why everything around them was literally falling apart before they could even reach it. Each time they made a move, the girl would destroy a building around them with no warning. It had caused them all to be wary of going near any tall buildings.

Their team had yet to score a point, meaning they couldn't back down. That didn't meant hey wouldn't be cautious though.

 _"Minubuki really wants to follow her lead! Sawasawa looks ready to go crazy too! Can't we just he a bit crazy too!?"_

 _"No! Never fall into step with the opponents! Especially crazy ones like her! That whole squad is a bad example on what to do!"_

 _"I can't reject that. Suzu is crazy at it is, and it seems that they are also getting to this sweet, innocent girl we thought of as a princess."_

Noah let out a sigh as he heard their Sniper speak up.

They had been focused on this battle royal that they had forgotten that Fubuki was currently tracking the other two Snipers involved.

 _"Hey, Prince, how far are you from us?"_

Noah asked this while weaving through attacks and blocking other ones. Each time he moved, he blocked. Each time he blocked, he moved. It was a repetitive action that worked out when his opponents and teammate were ready to shake the ground with their fighting.

 _"Halfway across the map. Why? Are you worried about the other two firing at you? Don't worry, none of us can actually shoot and hit one of you. You're too far away for any of our sniper Triggers to reach."_

Noah nodded to himself as he heard this.

As long as he only had to worry about the two opponents in front of them then they had a chance at scori at least two points.

He figured that Fubuki was smart enough to keep enough distance between her and the other Snipers for a quick escape. That meant they couldn't score a point off of her. That only left them with the option of finishing this battle with two more points and surviving.

Shor Squad had barely managed to make it into the top tier of B-Ranks and were already out up against such strong opponents. They hadn't thought of actually winning the match, instead focusing more on showing off their skills and surviving. If they could do that much then they would gain some recognition points at the least.

Noah knew that they were a mid-tier team and could only manage fights with other mid-to-low tier teams. It was the sad truth that they were just not ready enough to go all the way. Even so, that wasn't the reason they entered the B-Rank Wars. It was a much simpler reason than that.

 _We just wanted to test our limits as a team._

They wanted to simply see how far they could go. Once they knew the answer to that, they could improve themselves even more to be ready for the next time.

If they could manage a few points here then they would gain a small victory for themselves and develop even further.

 _We just need these two points!_

* * *

[It looks like Agent Taiyōko is following her teammates' leads by just destroying everything she sees in front of her! That can lead to some poor landscape, can't it?]

[I don't think that's what she's going for, but you are right. Changing the landscape so suddenly can cause confusion and delay in the other three fighting her. They will probably he more wary of hidden traps and general blockage from everything she destroyed.]

[Since she's the one who destroyed it, it's best to guess that she knows how she is going to move from now on. I doubt she would make changes if she didn't know what to do afterwards.]

[Minamisawa-kun seems to be fine with everything going on around him. Same goes for Shashin. They are more carefree at times like these. Shor on the other hand... He tends to focus tok much on the unimportant stuff and gets sidetracked. It looks like that's happening right now.]

[His reaction time is slowing down, and he's not taking in everything around him. That could make their advantage in numbers pointless. Maybe even give their opponents the chance to score a point.]

.

"Man! What is he doing out there!? They finally make it to the tops and he ends up like this? Isn't Sora yelling at him for this? C'mon!"

Dokuji could only look at the blond with a questioning look. He was unfamiliar with Shor Squad as a whole, so he did not understand much of what Shana was saying or complaining about. If anything, it seemed like she was still mad for not being able to fight as well.

He tried to get something out of Inukai, but the Gunner was busy talking to the dog that was in his lap. It was a truth adorable dog, so there was no complaints about Inukai talking to him.

"Hm. He's focusing on the more idiotic things again."

"What do you mean? He looked like he's focusing on the fight. Albeit, a bit too much. He's not keeping himself aware of everything going on and seems to just see certain things."

"Yeah. He gets a bit of tunnel vision at times like these. It's really annoying. But if he can focus properly then he'll be the strongest one there."

"That's a bit extreme, isn't it?"

"No. He's lagging because of his terrible focus right now. If he just lays attention to want he needs to... He really will he able to finally score a point."

Dokuji had watched the fight so far to see Kotowari Squad in action, yet he was learning more about their opponents. He was learning more about people he really didn't know, or even think about getting to know. It was a bit interesting.

Now that he had been told about the possibility of Noah becoming much better, he was interested to see the end result. How everything turned out.

 _I'm glad I'm watching this. Now I'm really curious to see how this whole match ends._

* * *

QOTC: How much focus do you put into something you enjoy?


	56. Shor Squad

**Chapter 56:** Shor Squad

* * *

Left to right, right to left. The two of them were continually switching off opponents. From the right and the front came was Hoshi while the left and the back was covered by Minamisawa. Of it wasn't for the fact that there were two of them, either Minubuki or Noah would have been taken out.

That meant keeping themselves ready was key here. If one of them lost, the other would no doubt end up losing as well.

 _"Prince... Sorry about this. Can you come back here to help us out? It'll be better if we can take these two out for more points than risk losing you to one of the other Snipers."_

It was all he could think of doing right now.

Fubuki was halfway across the map so they would have to hold of until she reached them. That much would be managable for them, it is all they have been doing after all.

 _"No can do, captain."_

Noah faltered for a second.

 _"We all have equal say on this team. That was one of the first things you told us. So I will flex the right to say this."_

There was only truth in her words. Noah had told them all that they were all equals and no one was above anyone else. Even he, as their captain, had no real control over them. If they listened to him then it was because they wanted to.

That meant he had to hear this out while thinking of it as an equal.

 _"I'm keeping these two here and away from you guys. That's keeping them cautious. If they figure out that I'm not keeping watch over them then it could lead to one of them scoring a point before going after the rest of us. What's more..."_

There was more that needed to be said.

Noah took it all in as an equal.

 _"You're being an idiot. A complete idiot."_

 _"I didn't want to say anything..."_

Noah looked over to see Minubuki nodding her head a bit.

The fact that their kind and gentle Operator had agreed with this statement was enough for him to understand that he was doing things wrong.

He thought about it for a few seconds while parrying attacks from Minamisawa. The more he thought about it the more he realized how right his whole team was.

 _"Why didn't you guys tell me sooner!? Now Tobio and Shay are gonna be on my ass for it!"_

He knew he was being an idiot and getting tunnel vision again.

It was a bad habit for him to start focusing on the wrong thing and forget about everything else going on. Making Fubuki go back to them would cause more issue than it would help them. One of the main things that messed him up was how he wanted to fight in this round.

There wasn't a need to show off or even survive. They had to he taking some risks to score as many points as possible. That meant doing what they needed and use what they could to take out as many opponents as possible.

As if a switch had been flipped, the fight between the four people changed in an instant.

Now that he knew he was an idiot, he could really act like one and go in for whatever attack he wanted.

* * *

Fubuki let out a small sigh.

She had been wondering what was going on on the other battlefield. Hearing her captain give a stupid order like that helped her to understand what was going on. That left her with the only option she had - giving a verbal smack to her captain.

Hearing him complain about two of his other friends let her know that he righted himself while fixing his thoughts.

Now she had to focus on her own task.

 _Those two are really keeping it safe since they don't know where I am. I don't want it to be like last time, so I need to give Takaoto-dono as little info as possible._

Fubuki looked through her scope. She had more range using Egret so she managed to keep a good distance from the other two Snipers. Both were using Lightning. While that gave them the advantage in the speed of their shots, their range was shorter.

She herself was a rather neutral person. She tried to never pick one side over another and instead leaned to the side that seemed to be winning. If Suzume truly did gain the upper hand here then she would be the girl. If Oki managed to gain some advantage here then she would help the boy.

After that, she would just need to focus on shooting down the other target once the first one was done.

It was quite amazing to see Oki dodge each close ranged attack though.

There was something curious about the whole thing though.

 _During our fist match she managed to deal with me and Minu using a regular gun. Why didn't she using that now? Now that the get a better look she doesn't even have it on her now. Not using Bagworm at this point is understandable, but she isn't using everything she has._

She knew about the agreement Suzume had with Narasaka. For helping her as a mentor, she was not aloud to use Sniper Triggers like regular gun by waving them around carelessly. That was why she had picked up an actual gun to fight with.

But that was why she was wondering what was going on.

Then it finally hit her. Literally.

There had been a moment when the two other a Snipers had moved to a different building. During that time they were hidden from view by another building. Fubuki could not have seen through it and so could not see any attack they made.

At some point, one of them had fired off shots that circled all the way around so as to attack her.

Suzume was the culprit.

 _Oki-senpai-dono doesn't have any type of Shooter Trigger, or any way of knowing where I am. On the other hand..._

Suzume had always been someone who had the potential of being an All-Rounder. It showed when she easily handled herself in close range combat. She was a Sniper but could work as an Attacker.

 _When she fought us before she must have barely decided on using Gunner and Shooter Triggers. Now that some time has passed she has become more accustomed to using them. Now she can fire them freely._

Fubuki smiled as she blocked a few more shots going for her.

 _She is perfect when on stage. That's probably how she can manage all of this._

Suzume already the skills as a Sniper, and was well off being an Attacker if she wanted. Being a Shooter was different, but it was not out of the relm of possibilities for her. That being said, she had used Viper freely instead of using a set pattern like most Gunners or Shooters. If she didn't then it would have been impossible for her to hit Fubuki the way she did.

To fire Viper so freely the user woułd need three key things or they would screw up. The first was imagination: being able to imagine things out of thin air. The second was objectivity: being aware and mindful of your surroundings. The third was spacial awareness: being able to accurately estimate the distance between yourself and your target, or surround structures.

Very few people could manage all of this and so decided to go with two main patterns. Either have the shots fan out at a point, or have the shots close in at a point. Depending on how the shots would depart, the opponent woul be able to tell exactly which pattern it was that was going towards them.

This was the former type of attack. A free Viper that could be fired with an original pattern set.

 _She might not be able to tell the distance between us, or even what is between us, but she has Takaoto-dono on her side. She could easily tell the distance or anything in between._

She let out a small sigh as she ran and fired at the shots aimed for her.

 _Of course they would make things harder for the rest of us._

* * *

 _"Hey, watch out. The Queen is able to use a free-form Viper. Taiyōko-chan may have something up her sleeve as well."_

Noah and Minubuki became more alert upon hearing the news. They both got ready should one of their current opponents make an unseen move.

 _"Minu, we need to end this now. The longer this takes, the more of a disadvantage we are at. We haven't lost any points, but we haven't gained any._

 _"Right! Minubuki-sama is ready whenever!"_

The two switched off once more.

Noah was now facing Minamisawa, Kōgetsu in one hand and the scabbard for Kōgetsu in the other. Around him were some Trion Cubes.

Minubuki was facing Hoshi, Kōgetsu in one hand and a gun in the other.

The two clashed with their opponents. Blade against blade.

Minubuki brought up her gun and started firing without any reserve.

The two girls moved around each other, neither one giving an inch. If one moving forward then the other would retaliate. If one moved to the left, the other would go to the right. The two were evenly matched in their flexibility and mobility.

.

 _"Hoshi, ten seconds, to the right. Then move back five steps."_

 _"Fire shots then move in with Kōgetsu. Fujin is optional, but it may not hit. Get within a few centimeters if you want to use it."_

She could hear the commands.

 _"Suzume, continue moving around. Circle around until he end up at the edge if the roof. Let him fire then dodge to the left."_

 _"She will fire at you, take the hit and turn to fire back at her. Take a single shot while firing Viper at him. Afterward, fire towards the direction you shot, but make them go three feet to the left of that exact spot."_

She could hear it not just from their captain, but also their Operator. Each move, even the smallest ones, were ones that would advance the battle. Each small bit of information would help Mei calculate the next move every person would take.

Takeshi would give the first round of order, Mei would follow after. The two would create new patterns to follow and new paths to go down in order to win. With his own information, Takeshi would direct their steps. With her information, Mei would correct those steps and speak of their opponents next move.

So doing as she was told, Hoshi moved to the right before taking five leaps backwards.

Small cubes of Trion appears around her before firing forward. They clashed with the shots being fired from Minubuki's gun.

Not a moment later did she rush forward with Kōgetsu ready. The blade was already in mid-swing before her opponent could even pull up her gun. That meant they clashed with their blades once more.

 _Fujin._

Ribbons of light folded out from the blade, giving it the appearance of flower petals revealing the inside. Each ribbon of light as a sort of extension if the blade itself, meaning they were able to cut what they touched.

Knowing this, Minubuki moved back as the ribbons of light folded out. But even she was not quick enough and got hit by two of the ribbons.

Her arm fell to the ground.

 _I had meant to get her head with that. I suppose that was my bad for expecting myself to be better than her. I will apologize later on. For now-_

She moved closer before firing off a new round of shots.

It was rather amazing. Even with the help of her captain and Operator, Hoshi still could not take out this opponent. That showed the difference in actual skill between them. While Hoshi was still learning, Minubuki had enough talent and skill to hold her off while also getting her own hits in.

* * *

"There we go! Now they're getting into it!"

Inukai could only laugh as he heard the American next to him get excited over the match.

Time was running out, but the fight was finally moving along at a fast pace. With Noah finally getting into the fight for real, the battle royal going on seemed to moving along in the right.

They could all see that he had the advantage over Minamisawa, but had yet to actually score that point.

"Interesting. So this Shor-san needs to really be focused on the match for it to go anywhere. Without that, Minamisawa-kun and Taiyōko-san would have just continued to chip away at them while Shashin-san would help in defending. And it appears that defending isn't her strong suit either."

"Yeah. Noah can be a bit difficult at times, but he's actually a pretty skilled person. He's the type you can rely on easily. That's probably why Shashin-chan was fine with blocking this whole time. She knew that she could rely on him once he was into it."

"Give them some credit here. Minu and Fubuki were holding out for that long. And really, their positions haven't changed. They still have the same chance of scoring points as the beginning of the match."

Dokuji looked at the two others to see that they were watching the screen with pleased looks. Whether it was because of what they were walking about or because of the actual match was uncertain, but they seemed happy either way.

Even the commentators were getting into it now.

.

[There we go! Captain Shor's really going at it now! Same with Agent Shashin and Agent Taiyōko! I guess you can expect a team that has both a member of the American Trio and the RGT to put on a show like this!]

[Not just them. The Snipers are also putting in work. I'm sure Mei and Kotowari are directing Suzume on what to do. Oki and Shirogane are keeping up with her. If barely.]

[But who would have expected Agent Misaki to use Viper so freely!? Didn't she make a deal with Narasaka or something?]

Kuni and Arashiyama both turned to Kodera once this was said. It was obvious that he would know since it involved two Snipers he respected.

[Narasaka-senpai had told her that she can't go around swinging sniper Triggers around like they were toys. He had never said anything about using actual shots. This is different than sniping, so there shouldn't be a problem. ...Hopefully.]

The other two nodded before turning back to the screen, not believing that a problem wouldn't come up later on.

* * *

"Well this is troublesome."

Fubuki couldn't help but mutter to herself as she continued to dodge or shoot down the a Viper shots going towards her.

She was in a rather conflicting situation right now. On one hand, she would usually side with Suzume since she was currently winning. On the other hand, she wanted to help Oki just so she didn't have to deal with Viper anymore.

 _"Hey, I'm going to have to go ahead and try for a single point before I Bail Out to keep them from getting me. Does that sound alright?"_

 _"Yeah! Take a shot then get away! At least make it so we keep either of them from getting a hit on us!"_

Nodding to herself, she shot down the rest of the Viper before slide-Manding on the next building. From there, she had a perfect view of both Snipers.

She pulled up her Trigger and got ready to fire.

"Here I go..."

She fired, aiming for Oki's head.

To her surprise, the moment she fired the shot, something was going straight for her. It appeared that Oki had managed to find her and fire a shot at her.

"No. That's not it."

She knew there was no time to dodge or put up a defense.

"She moved out of the way of his shot, which 'just so happens' to be in the direction I am currently in. Damn. That woman and her Side Effect are scary."

The shot made contact with her head.

 **Bail Out**

.

Suzume saw a shot go right through Oki's head.

"And I was just getting into that dance too~"

She watched he as turned into light before flying off.

"Well, I suppose it was better to end this match with some survival points than risk honestly losing a point to one of them."

 _"Good job, Senpai. And thank you for actually being cooperative on this."_

She folded her arms under her breasts, making them pop out a bit.

"Remember the deal."

 _"...Fine... I'll get you some material for the next issue of WPLSK."_

Suzume just grinned at the thought.

Now all that was left was for the battle royal to finish up so that the match could be over.

There was no need for her to make her way over to that battlefield. She had already been told by Mei that she wouldn't make it in time to help anyways. That meant she just had to stay put to get the survival points.

"An honestly dull way of doing this. But whatever."

* * *

Noah could see everything going on around him. In front of him was Minamisawa, trying to get closer, to his right was Hoshi and Minubuki, fighting it out. He made sure that they were always within eyesight.

He could tell that the fight between the two girls was much different than his own.

Using his odd way of fighting, that consisted of using both Kōgetsu and it's scabbard, he was managing to land more and more hits on Minamisawa. Combining those attacks with his shots gave him a better range of attack.

When he thought more about it, he wondered just how far he could go with such a strange way of fighting. There were people who did this and that while fighting, yet they always seemed to be fine appearance-wise.

 _Suzume practically dances and Tatsuhito cut everything around him. Something like this doesn't look too unnatural. Besides, Kei dual-wields Kōgetsu._

Reassuring himself that he only looked mildly odd with his fighting, Noah moved forward to land a successful hit on Minamisawa.

The two backed away for a moment.

When they were ready to go for another round of this, they saw a light flash through the sky. At this point in the fight it meant that either Hoshi or Minubuki had been defeated. They wanted to see who it was, but the answer came in an instant.

Shots were fired at the two of them from the side.

They both jumped out of the way in time.

Noah turned his body around so that he was moving towards Hoshi now.

He saw her prepare an attack and acted according to what he saw.

 _Now!_

Before she could fire the attack, multiple blue plates were placed in front of him and around her. The chance was taken and he was sent flying forward. From one plate to another, Noah was launched all around until he came to a stop on the ground.

He brought up the scabbard of Kōgetsu to block the attack from Minamisawa while Hoshi's severed body and head turned into light before flying away.

Seeing his second chance at a point he brought his blade forward, his aim was directed at Minamisawa's head.

"!?"

Minamisawa grinned as he used his hand to block the attack. He moved his hand to the side so that the blade wouldn't go for his head. At the same time he moved his own blade so that it was now being swung to cut Noah's head off.

The two moved at the same time.

In an instant, they both continued their attacks.

Minamisawa was quick enough to cut his head off.

Noah was close enough to cut him diagonally.

"I got a point this time!"

"Well damn."

The two turned into light before flying off.

* * *

[There it is! It's over now! The final score put Kotowari Squad at five points while both Shor and Ikoma squads have three points! The winners are Kotowari Squad!]

* * *

QOTC: What is the weirdes fighting style you have ever seen? (Manga or irl)


	57. (Tsukiko) Kotowari Squad: Part 9

**Chapter 57:** (Tsukiko) Kotowari Squad: Part 9

* * *

"I see... So that's how it is."

"Yeah. You're the best option for this assignment. That silver tongue of yours makes it easy to move around without any suspicion."

Yuki let out a small sigh.

He had just bee told everything he needed to know about this assignment that came up. It was not something for Yagura or just any Border agents. This was something that he was best at, meaning he was the best choice for it.

Even so, he had a bad feeling about it.

"Look, you can away reject. It was more of an idea and an actual assignment. Masafumi and even Kido-san said that you don't really have to do it."

"No. It's fine. If I need to, I'll get away. Just leave it to me."

"You should probably go see Jin. He can tell you the best futures for you to succeed."

"Heh. I guess I could. I just don't feel like I should. I've already asked him to look at something unpleasant, so I'll feel bad asking for something like this now."

"I'm sure he'll understand."

"Yeah..."

Moving away from the wall he was leaning on, Yuki started walking away while waving to his teacher and boss.

"Are you going to see him?"

"No. Kotowari Squad's latest match just ended. I want to congratulate them in person. It's the least I can do at this point."

Akasora watched as the A-Rank walked away as if nothing was wrong.

He could feel a terrible feeling in the pit of his stomach. No matter how much he tried to push it down, it continued to boil back up.

"That guy is so troublesome."

* * *

[And there you have it, everyone! Kotowari Squad had managed to gain the victory in this match! Their track record seems to be getting much better. Now it's time for the final commentary! If our guests would be so kind!]

Kuni turned to the two A-Ranks with a smile.

Arashiyama was the first to speak up.

[Let's start with what is on everyone's mind. That being Kotowari Squad's wolf.]

[Right! From the very start no one could find Toby anywhere. It made everyone in edge since he is the most wild fighter there.]

[Right. They were cautious and wanted to make sure that they knew where he was before they went in the offensive. The exception being Ikoma. Once they found out what exactly was going on they were all worried about one thing.]

[The teleportation marks.]

[Correct again. It seems that he has taken up his former captain's style by using those marks. Each one was a teleport spot that anyone of the team's members could use to attack or escape.]

[That brings us to the actual fights. The first ones to make contact were the two from Ikoma squad and Kotowari Squad's own captain.]

Kodera decided to take very for this one.

[I think we were all shocked to see Kotowari handle those attacks by himself. Even so, we could all see that he was not strong enough to handle them all by himself. In the end, he managed to score a mutual point from Mizukami-senpai. Although we really did see how much he has improved front he start of the B-Rank Wars.]

[So next would be Agent Awdry and his fight with Captain Ikoma. The two of them were really going at it. Their attacks were both smooth and accurate. Neither seemed to be giving an inch and had the fire of victory in their eyes.]

[It was what we have come to expect from them. Ikoma saw it more like a chance to treat Toby like a dog while Toby was trying to get him to stop seeing him as an animal. It was interesting, to say the least. Overall they both proved that they can keep up with each other's craziness.]

[I think other teams will now be keeping an eye out for Awdry. He managed to not only keep up with one of Border's best Attackers, he also managed to defeat him. The unpredictability of that probably caused him to end up on some radars.]

[And speaking of unpredictable people... Any thoughts on the snipers going at it?]

[There really isn't much to say there. Suzume proved that she had many skills that would leave a mark on anyone. The other two did their best to keep up, but she was not facing them solely as a Sniper. They could not have prepared for that.]

[Now for the last fight. The battle royal between the three teams. That was where we saw Agent Minamisawa, Agent Taiyōko, Agent Shashin and Captain Shor duke it out. The end result was a completely knock out by all of them.]

[Shor seemed to be having a hard time getting into the fight and was making some errors that his opponents used. If it wasn't for Shashin, he would have been taken out. He had a slow start, for sure. That being said, once he was really invested into the fight he was one of the hardest ones to reach.]

[It's all in the mindset. You won't do as well with something you can't get into. He was so focused on the wrong that that it messed up his judgement.]

[I see. Well, that's all the time we have for that! All three teams did great, and really showed off their skills here. I want to thank our guests for joining us this time.]

[No problem.]

[Any time.]

* * *

Ikoma Squad could feel the weird atmosphere around their captain. They tried to ignore it, but it was pushing down on them.

"Hey... Are we getting worse?"

"Nah. The other teams just see us as too much of a threat to keep on field."

"You just want to say that because Koto-chan got that hit on you!"

"Kid's crazy. What Shooter would get so close if he doesn't even have a blade in his slots?"

Oki looked between the two arguing teammates while keeping an eye of their captain. It was weird to see him like this, but he understood the feeling. There was no reason for him to personally feel down since he knew that one-on-one he could not win his fight.

Even so, he gave a small pat to Ikoma's shoulder.

They had lost a previous match and now lost this one as well. What made it worse was that not a single one of them was left on field to get survival points.

"Hey-"

Oki took a step back when Ikoma suddenly sprung up. The strangeness coming from him was no longer there.

Ikoma started making his way towards the door with a serious look on his face.

"Where are you going?"

"I need to go pet his head! Just once! Then I'll have won!"

Oki could hear their lovely Operator sigh at their captain's stupidity.

He also understood her feelings on the matter.

* * *

"Let's go again! Let's go back in! Minubuki has some engery and she is ready to go at it again!"

Fubuki gave a small laugh as her teammate's antics. She too felt a bit energized after their match, but figured she would use that energy in a more constructive way.

She looked over to see her captain and their Operator talking off to the side.

"Everyone, thanks for your hard work. Getting three points and tying with Ikoma Squad at the end is not a bad thing. We also lasted longer than others, which is good."

"Isn't that more because of you were being thick headed? If wasn't until you got into it that we started really doing something."

"Yes, well... Regardless, we should take what we learned here and use it for next time. Also... I'll try not to mess us up again."

Fubuki felt that there was no reason to say anything about the subject when she knew that Sora would be giving their captain an earful.

She looked over to see that Minubuki had already left the room in search for something to do. While it seemed like the girl was just being energetic, they all knew that she was going out to work on what needed to be worked on.

 _I should actually do the same. The Queen kinda put us through the wringer there. She's advancing at an interesting rate. If Sato-rin or Narasaka-dono don't get to her then I might just take her for myself~_

She have an impish laugh while heading for the door.

"Captain, I'm also going to be heading out now. I want to work a bit more on my aim."

"...Is that an innuendo or are you serious. I really can't tell when it comes to you."

"I mean my sniping. The innuendos came later when you two are alone in this room and I see some strange substances~"

"Prince!"

She let out another laugh as she left the room. She could see that Sora had gone red while Noah was trying to calm him down.

It was a bit amazing to see how the two of them worked off each other like that.

They had barely managed to be in the top tier of B-Ranks for this recent match. There was no doubt that they would be dropped back down to mid-tier after this. That was fine since they all understood that that was where they fit in right now.

It was still a bit annoying to be dropped down, but it was understandable.

 _The real question is who is going to replace us? I have been hearing rumors about one particular team quickly rising through the ranks. Maybe they'll give these top teams a run for their money~_

She continued to smile while walking down the hallway.

Things were going to get interesting for sure.

* * *

Toby couldn't help but to laugh at what he saw seeing.

There, in front of them, was Suzume squeezing their captain between her breasts. The look on his face showed no emotion but they all knew that he was slowly dying right now. Whether it was from lack of oxygen or embarrassment they weren't sure.

Finding that it had already been two minutes, Toby took pity on his friend and reached out to grab him from the evil clutches of Suzume.

"Honestly. I'm happy you're doing so well by yourself, Take, but losing a point like that to Mizukami-senpai like that! Really? Even Toby was able to score a point off of Iko-san."

"But at least he scored a point. You couldn't even get one from Kōji, remember?"

"That's honestly different. He kept using Grasshopper to try and get away, I couldn't reach him like that. Besides, I had to deal with Fu-chan, who was out of my field of vision. I think I did rather well."

"Ah. You all did wonderfully. Thank you for all your hard work."

"Not to be _that person_ , but if it wasn't for those survival points we wouldn't have won. That being said, surviving is a part of these matches. So next time... Let's strive to have more than one person survive."

Takeshi fixed his scarf while looking at the three of them.

They had a goal that they needed achieve. There was someone they needed to catch up to while they could. That person had helped them out so much, they wanted to show their gratitude by beating him on equal ground.

Each match was helping them gain more experience for the day they could finally catch up to him. Not just to him, but to her as well. They had never say saying about it, but they all knew what they had to do.

It was not just their former captain that they wanted to catch up to. It was also their Operator. Both had done so much for them that it only felt right to show them that they could stand on their own feet. That they were strong enough to handle the two of them.

Until that goal was met they would continue to grow. That way they wouldn't seem weaker than they were. So for now, they would continue to move forward.

"Alright! That was fun! But now I really need to go. I have someone to go see~ He's been waiting to see me since the incident with Yuki."

"Oh. I'll honestly go with you. I need to pick up my sister anyways."

"Make sure not to cause any trouble. I don't want any reports of a girl with a chainsaw or a boy howling at the sky."

"One time! I did that one time!"

"That honestly hurts, Mei-san."

Mei rolled her eyes as the two went for the door.

Times like these were always enjoyable. The match was over and the team now had some freedom to do what they wanted. They didn't have to focus on thinking their next moves through until the next match.

Now everyone could relax and take a breather for a bit. Well, except Toby. He would just go out for more fights.

She turned back to her computer to do some other things while she had the chance. The moment she did, she heard it.

"Hey! Quite your crap already!"

"Lemme pet ya!"

Mei kept out a small sigh as she turned around to see exactly what she expected.

Toby was tactfully moving around while Ikoma was busy trying to get to his head. The two were doing this right in the doorway so not even Suzume could get out of the room without having to deal with them.

It was tempting to just give Toby to Ikoma but she decided that was the worse possible outcome here. The amount of material Suzume would get from that would probably end up filling a volume. That's what her calculations had told her.

She was about to get up to stop the two idiots but found no reason to as someone else came to the aid.

"Tatsu, leave him alone. I need him for a bit."

Seeing the familiar face of his former captain, Toby leaped forward towards him. He mad a quick dash to hide behind the A-Rank.

"Help me! He's been doing that a lot lately! Even during our match!"

"Yes, yes. I know. There, there. Just calm down now."

"Uh... Yuki... I'm not a dog..."

"Why do ya let Kiyo pet ya but not me!? Tha's unfair!"

"Ah. Sorry, sorry. It's a bit of a habit. You're right. You're not a dog, you're a genuine bloodhound at this point."

"Yuki, you wound my pride!"

Everyone else watched as Yuki continued to pet the boy as if nothing had been said. Even as he complained, Toby looked to really enjoy being petted by him.

 _And he says he's not a dog..._

Suzume smirked as she pulled out her phone, pictures already being taken.

Seeing the other looking at him, Yuki turned to them while still lightly petting Toby's head, who was now hugging him like a child.

"Anyways. I'm sure you all have something to do right now, but I really want to take you guys out for something to eat. Except you, Tatsuhito. I'm pretty sure I need to ship you off back to your squad."

"Rude! Kiyo's being really rude!"

Yuki simply rolled his eyes.

He looked at the others in the room to see that they were fine with going.

He stepped to the side to let everyone out while also keeling Toby behind him and away from Ikoma.

When everyone was outside, Yuki stayed behind a bit. He looked over at Mei with his hand held out and a smile on his lips.

She looked at his hand for a few seconds before slowly going to hold it.

"Are you okay with this?"

She gave a nod as she took the hand gently into her own.

She could manage this much. It made her a bit embarrassed, but not enough to make her go on a damage around the entire area. That meant there had been improvements and that she was getting better at controlling herself.

At this point she needed that kind of control.

* * *

There was something nice about being out and about on clear days. Times lie, these were almost impossible to ruin. Key word: almost.

Yuki and Mei felt like ducking their heads out of embarrassment while the others at the table did their own things to embarrass the two of them.

"Let's see~ Oh! Those two work as perfect background character for the next one~ This is honestly great!"

"This one and this one look really good! Ah! But that one has so much meat on it! It looks so good~!"

"You should watch what you say. Suzume-senpai may hear you and turn that into something."

"And Toby says, 'You have so much meat, Tatsu~ It looks so good~!' Yes! Thanks for that, Toby!"

"Hey! Don't just use my words like that! I was talking about this steak! Steak!"

The two oldest ones there covered their faces as people turned to their direction while whispering to each other. It was quite embarrassing and neither one wanted to deal with this craziness.

Seeing her brother and his girlfriend inching towards the door, Hoshi decided to speak up and appease them.

"Kiyo-nii, I've been meaning to ask you something."

"Hm? What is it?"

"How did Tsukiko Squad form? I was never told how you met had met any of them."

"Oh. About that..."

Yuki thought it over. A fond smile spread on his lips as he thought about the other three when he had met them.

"Take was the first one, besides Mei. I sort of felt bad since he always seemed lonely. I guess he took an interest in my fighting and decided to join. Suzu was next. It was actually Satori to told me about her. He said that she would be perfect for a Sniper and balance the team out. I'm pretty sure he told me because he was worried about her. She wasn't in the best place at the time."

"Suzume-senpai? But she always seems so happy and joyful! It's almost like nothing will get her down!"

"Yes, well, people aren't always like that. You know a good amount of people who are like that. But I digress." He shrugged his shoulders while continuing to speak. "Toby... Actually, I found him like you would find a lost pup. It was raining and he was just taking cover near a store. I felt bad and gave him my hat. From there I'm pretty sure he was following me until I started caring for him."

"Wow~! So you really took all three of them as if they were-"

Hoshi jumped when she heard a loud thud and felt the table shake a bit. She looked over to see Suzume and Toby with their heads on the table while Takeshi covered his face with his scarf. All of their ears were red and they made sure not to make any eye contact with her or the other two.

Mei gave a smile while Yuki laughed a bit. They knew that the three of them didn't want to be reminded of such embarrassing times. The two of them thought that it was great payback for what they were just doing.

Hoshi tilted her head but was reassured by Mei.

"Anyways. I think I should tell you guys why I asked you to come out with me."

The three gave some indication that they were listening, but still made no eye contact.

Yuki laughed again while speaking up again. This time his voice sounded sincere and a bit sad.

"I want to apologize to you guys. It was brought to my attention that I was being an idiot when I disbanded the squad. I didn't prepare you guys enough and that was my bad. It was a major failure as a captain, an upperclassman and a friend. What's more, I didn't help any of you to cope with it. I was busy with Yagura Branch that I didn't even try to help you all out. I know that isn't much of an excuse, but... I'm really sorry. I don't blame any of you for holding a grudge against me."

The three from the former team looked at each other for a bit.

Yuki then turned to their newest member and his own sister.

"And I owe you an apology too, Hoshi. More so than anyone else. You are my amazing younger sister, but I just left you with no way of knowing where, or who, I was. I already knew how things were for you, yet I chose to stay out of it so I could keep up my lie as 'Tsukiko Yuki'. It really gives me no right to call myself your big brother."

He lowered his head until it was just hovering over the table.

"I'm really sorry."

There was dead silence between them all.

Yuki figured that they were thinking over it and taking everything in. He wouldn't be surprised in the slightest if they said they didn't forgiven, even after this.

To his shock and confusion, they all gave lighthearted words.

Toby scoffed and Takeshi shook his head with a sigh while Suzume started speaking. It seemed that she would be speaking for the two of them as well.

"What are you honestly saying? You're apologizing to the wrong people here, Yuki-san. The one you should honestly he apologizing to is sitting right next to you."

Yuki gave a confused looked to Mei as she took a drink.

"True, you really gave us no warning whatsoever that you were going to disband the team, but we were also at fault for not really being ready. We took it too far and needed to check ourselves. Really, it's all of our faults. Well, except Mei."

"You need to apologize for causing her all this trouble. Like Toby said, we are also at fault, but we have already made up for that. Mei-san, has he ever apologized to you for all of this?"

She shook her head calmly.

"See? So you need to man up and give your best dogeza to try and get her forgiveness."

Yuki had not words to argue against that. He was going to give an apology to his girlfriend when they all heard a small giggle.

Turning to the person who made the sound they all saw Hoshi smiling at them.

"I suppose it is my turn." She looked at her brother directly in the eye while speaking. "Kiyo-nii, I've already forgiven you. Rather, there was never a reason to be forgiven. I had always thought that you had a reason for not contacting me in any way. Besides, if you continued to protect me so much then I would have never been able to do things on my own."

Yuki truly had nothing to say to all of this.

He was expecting them to act a bit childish and say that they couldn't forgive him. He was prepared for them to let out their pent up anger on him. What he didn't expect was everything he ad just heard.

This was really eye opening for him.

He had always seen them as children who needed help. Now that he heard them talk like this he knew that he was very wrong. They had grown up enough to let things go while looking towards the future.

The want to apologize for insulting them had come up. As soon as it came up, it was squashed back down. He didn't need Jin's foresight or Mei's calculations to know that they would berate him for apologizing again.

 _They really have grown up in a short amount of time. Maybe they can handle it now... Can we tell them now?_

Yuki looked toward Mei as the other went back to their own devices.

The two looked at each other as if communicating mentally.

A minute passed before Mei shook her head.

Yuki let out a small sigh.

 _So that's how it is._

He went back to watching his former team mess around.

Times like these were very nice indeed.

* * *

QOTC: How long can you hold a grudge?


	58. Shokubutsu Tenryū: Part 2

**Disclaimer:** Tora is owned by R0guePanda

* * *

 **Chapter 58:** Shokubutsu Tenryū: Part 2

* * *

Takaoto Mei was very happy, and it showed. It seemed as if everything around her came to life as soon as she passed by them. A small smile was on her face and there was a small spark in her eyes that hardly anyone ever saw.

Next to her was the idiot known as Tsukiko Yuki, looking unsure as to what was going on.

"Um... Mei-sama, has something delighted you today?"

"It is not today, so much as a continuation of yesterday. Seeing you all admitting your idiocricy has made me very happy, that's all. I care for you all, so that was all I needed to be happy."

Yuki could feel his own smile come to life.

Seeing one of the people he loved dearly being so joyful was enough for him to enjoy things around him.

Even if his time was considerably shorter than everyone else's, he would enjoy it to the end.

After all...

 _There is still that surprise we have to tell them._

Yuki's life was a quickly fading one due to an incurable illness he had received after a certaint incident. As such, he had always wanted to fade out of existence instead of going out dramatically.

 _Something like that is not suited for me. I lost all rights to go out in a blaze of glory. All I can do is fall to the ground in silence while others walk passed me. Although, I'm not alone in that. There is one other person I know who feels like fading out of from the world is better suited._

People, without proper names, those who seek nothing for themselves, those people were the ones Yuki thought just fade away without notice. If they could not find out who they were, they had no right to be remembered by their "name".

There was someone else who was in a similar situation as him.

Most people would have thought he was referring to the happy person next to him, but that was incorrect.

The one he was referring to was a boy in his own branch.

"Well, I'm glad we could make you happy. That smile of yours is very nice. I...feel bad for being the main reason that you don't show it that much."

"Hm. Don't get too full of yourself. It's not just you. Besides..."

Mei looked down with a smile, a small, sincere, pained smile.

Yuki grabbed her hand gently while turning to face her.

"I am happy to have something that I can always smile at. Those guys are wonderful, but this... There will be pain, but I am prepared for it. I can deal with, knowing that there will be more smiles as the end result."

Yuki tightened his grip a bit at hearing this.

There was a secret that no one but these two knew about.

 _No. Jin also knows. I'm pretty sure some others have their suspicions as well. That airhead seemed less eager to fight. That's also probably why they want me reject this assignment. But if I do then we will be missing out on a big chance._

Many things had been put into place for this one assignment in such little time. It had been brought about by the latest mini-invasion from Galopoula.

Yuki had decided that, as someone who can just fade away, he would be the best option to take on this kind assignment. No one else would be needed.

A chance to advance things. It would allow Border to go even further in both technology as well as reputation.

A chance to ruin things. It would allow Border to lose something important as well as some of the reputation they had built up.

Yuki would be the deciding factor in this. Depending on how it went, Border could end up gaining greater strength or losing some strength.

He would make sure that it was the former.

"You know," he started up, "I'm glad I can see them grow up. Even prove me wrong and beat me. They are so much different than back then. And it's not just them. After the second major invasion, everyone improved to be better prepared. After this last one, they went up even more."

"That's more than I can say for you."

"Ow... That one really hurt~"

He saw her roll her eyes.

"But I know it's true. At this point...there's nothing I can do to get better. It's not like Katori says, but I have nowhere else to go with my fighting. Even if I start focusing on one area, I'll end up going to another without even noticing. I'm at my limit in multiple things. That's why I need to do this."

"So you just want to stop. Stop everything and not ever go again."

Mei spoke with no curiosity. Everything she said was spoken as a statement instead of a question.

"You want to leave without ever being there. Not even trying to climb higher. It's because those guys are catching up so quickly. No... It's just because you know your-"

The two of them went quite.

The closest people to them were at least twenty feet away, meaning they could not hear the conversation.

The two of them went quite because they knew that those people did not matter. They knew that there was someone much closer than any of them.

"...Tsukiko-san... ...May I ask...for some help...?"

A boy had suddenly appeared without notice behind the two of them. His eyes could hardly be seen from behind his hair and his posture was one of a small animal.

Neither Yuki nor Mei were surprised by the sudden appearance of the boy, having already known he was walking up to them. To anyone else it would had seemed like he just appeared without any sort of sound.

Yuki had taught this boy before, when his uncle could not be around to help out. What he had taught him about were ways to move around undetected and ways to stay out of everyone's attention.

He was also the person Yuki knew who thought of himself as someone who would be better off fading out.

"Hm? What is it?"

"...I need help...using the attack...you had shown me...before... ...If that is fine..."

"Of course I'll help. How about we have a match so that you can test it out in actual combat? I'm assuming the stance and general positioning is what's giving you trouble."

Shobu gave a very slight nod.

"Right, so-"

"Hold on."

The two turned to look at Mei, who was now giving a small glare towards the older of the two.

"What exactly are you teaching him? It better not be something stupid. Also, you can't have a match right now. Just take a look around."

Doing as he was told, Yuki turned his head to look around them.

The people all around them were whispering and looking directly at them. It was hard to hear what they were saying, but Yuki was easily able to read their lips and understand what was going on.

Yuki rarely asked for a solo match with anyone. He also rarely accepted any requests for a solo match with anyone.

 _The last person, besides that airhead, who I fough in a one-on-one was Midorikawa... I think. It's no wonder we're getting this attention._

For Yuki to ask for a solo match with someone so unnoticeable like Shobu... It was a bit insulting.

If he wanted to fight someone like that, why didn't he want to fight stronger people? He was willing to fight a new B-Rank, so why didn't he fight higher B-Ranks? Was it favoritism? Could it be out of pity?

The crowd around them continued to ask questions like these as they watched the trio.

Knowing how shy his fellow branch member was, Yuki got ready to do something about the people around them.

Luckily for the trio, someone else was already intervening.

"Yo~ Sorry Mei, Tenryū. I need to take Yuki for a bit~ But don't worry, I've come with a trade."

Yuki and Mei looked down to see a rather short boy with white hair and red eyes. His general appearance and color scheme reminded them of the other short Tamakoma member, but they felt as though thinking they were similar would be insulting. Even so, there were clear signs that the two of them were different.

They had heard things here and there about even more people joining Tamakoma. The plan had been to go see if it was true, but neither one found the time to do so. That meant that they just had to wait.

This was the result of that waiting.

"I heard what was going on. How about I take Yuki and Tora here takes on Tenryū in a match?"

The boy moved a bit forward before giving a small bow.

"Rokuda Tora. Hello."

Yuki and Mei followed suit by introducing themselves.

Seeing that Shobu was moving closer behind them, Yuki decided to introduce the boy instead.

They went back to looking at Jin.

"So? Do we have a deal~?"

"Shobu, are you fine with this? It would be good to try it out in actual combat again. And Mei will also be watching, so she can tell you how you did afterwards."

"..."

Shobu gave a small nod.

Yuki smiled as he bent down so he had a better look at Shobu's hidden face. He put a hand on the other's shoulder while speaking in a soft tone.

"Can you do me a favor? Try not to use those things for the fight." He pointed to the devices around Shobu's neck. "I taught 'Tenryū Shokubutsu' that move, not anyone else. So fight as 'Shobu,' no one else. Can you do it?"

Another small, and very hesitant nod.

Yuki continued to smile as he stood back up. He patted Shobu's head before walking over to Jin.

"I'll see you guys in a bit. And it's nice to meet you, Rokuda."

.

Mei let out a small sigh as the two guys walked away. That left her with the two young boys who were about to fight each other.

She knew why she had been left to watch over them.

Her Side Effect was not to be underestimated.

 _I suppose something like is to be expected. But by how much? I just want a little more time with him. Just enough time for him to see what he has left us with._

Even with bitter thoughts in mind, Mei walked with the two boys as if nothing was wrong.

The two of them were quiet the whole time, leaving her to simply think.

* * *

Yuki could easily see what the other's expression meant.

It was one that meant he only had bad news.

"The future changed."

Yuki gave a nod.

"I figured as much. How did it change?"

"There isn't much time anymore. A day to a year. It all depends on how things turn out. The best outcome is still hazy and the way to get to it isn't clear either. The things I see the most are terrible outcomes that have easy ways to get to them."

"I see... Well, I suppose that's just what happens. The fact you haven't told me to just give up on the assignment means that you realize I won't be changing my mind. Those futures are what you have been focusing on this whole time, aren't they?"

"Even Mei can't stop you at this point. I know I can't get you to give up on it."

"These kinds of things are what I'm best at. Even if everything ends terribly, and something happens, I'll be the only one who will really be effected."

"-!"

"At least... That's what I want to say."

Jin stopped himself from making any move and from saying anything.

He had thought that what Yuki had said was his true feelings. He even saw a future where that was all he said before leaving.

It appeared that he had believed the fox's silver tongue.

"I already know that there is at least one group of ki-... People that will miss me. What's more, I have a major responsibility now. What I'm saying is-"

"You will make things work."

Yuki gave a chuckle.

"Yeah." He grinned towards Jin. "So? What do the futures look like now? Any changes?"

"A few more have opened up. They're also a bit hazy but..."

Yuki tilted his head a bit as the older agent gave a small laugh.

As if by magic, Jin pulled out a bag of bonchi rice crackers. He tossed the bag towards Yuki, who caught it with both hands.

"I just have to leave it up to you. That isn't too much trouble. Something like this should be easy enough for the Yagura Branch rep."

Yuki continued to grim as he opened the bag and took the first rice cracker.

"Now you're getting it."

* * *

Mei knew it.

She knew it from the very start.

They were simply basking in the silence that surrounded them. With the three of them being the type of people to not speak much with others, they decided that they would simply stay quiet.

She had thought of starting up a conversation with the small albino, but figured that it was much better to maintain the silence.

With her being who she was, no one really gave the trio a second glance. If they saw the Ultimate Operator walking with two others then they would assume that she had a good reason to do so.

 _They probably aren't even seeing Shokubutsu. From their perspective, it's just me and-_

Without any warning or sign of doing it, she suddenly stopped in her tracks.

The two younger ones turned around to see why exactly see had done so.

Mei let out a small sigh while walking over to a nearby bench.

Shobu was quick, and hesitant, to tug at Tora's shirt, motioning for him to move over from where they stood. The albino followed, unsure of what was going on.

He soon found out.

With little effort, Mei grabbed the end of the bench before lifting high into the air. She moved her body for an overhand throw. Her muscles twisted and contorted enough for her to throw the bench far across the room with enough speed and force to leave a mark on the wall.

The wall was not her target.

Her target was a woman who was currently hanging off of Border's #4 Attacker and her kouhai.

The two boys saw the boy and girl quick duck under the flying bench as it smashed into the wall with a loud sound.

The woman was the one to speak up.

"Hey! What was that for!? I wasn't even doing anything wrong this time?"

"Yes, you were. Murakami clearly doesn't want you hanging off of him like that. What's more, I believe I still owe you for the little stunt you pulled before. Basically, I had every right to throw a bench at you."

Mei spoke while the woman walked toward her.

Murakami slowly followed behind, only stopping when he was standing with the other two boys.

"Look, I'm the Operator of Yagura, so I can't help if some of our members start doing crazy things and I get caught up in it. You know as well as I do that it's hard to stop Kushi-chan."

Mei let out a small sigh.

"To tell you the truth, I also just needed to get your attention."

"You didn't have to throw a bench at me."

"You said you were a part of Yagura."

"...Touché..."

Nakagami Velvet gave her own sigh while flipping her hair.

She crossed her arms while looking Mei directly in the eyes.

"What did you need? I've been laying off of Yuki-senpai, so you can't patonize me for that. And I only started messing with Murakami-senpai because I was bored."

"That's not what I need. I need a favor."

"What kind of favor?"

"I need you to be Kotowari Squad's Operator for the next match. I am going to be busy and-"

"No."

"The reason being..."

Nakagami relaxed a bit with a look of pity.

 _Even now, she won't ask "Why?" instead._

"It's obvious. Those guys are too much for any sane person to handle. What's more, I can't do as much as you can. They have probably gotten use to be told almost everything about the fight and will be at a loss when I can't give them accurate info."

"They will learn to deal with it. Those four are very smart and skilled. I have no doubts that they can manage without me. If only for one match."

Nakagami looked over at the three boys and noticed the small albino.

With Tenryū Squad and Hiinu Squad not participating in the B-Rank Wars, she had no reason to keep track of the other teams involved. Even so, she did make sure to know how every team was doing.

She may be a crazy person, but she was not stupid. She was well aware of her boss' decision to see if Kotowari Squad wanted to join the branch once the B-Rank Wars were over. That meant there really was a team to watch out for in the wars.

That was where the albino came in.

 _He is a part of the team that they have to go up against. From the rumors I've heard, he's not an easy one to take down._

She couldn't help but to scoff at that.

 _If Boss wants them to join Yagura then they shouldn't have much trouble dealing with their next opponents. With Tamakoma gaining a new team, we are talking a bit behind. This could be a good opportunity to see if they really are suited to be with us._

Kotowari Squad's next opponents were Hikigane Squad and Williams Squad of Tamakoma. One team they had lost to in the first round while the other was too new for them to have a proper fight with.

In a way, this truly was perfect. A newbie team, a moderately old team and a team that had once been A-Rank. It was a chance to see exactly where everyone was compared to other teams.

Nakagami could feel a small grin appear on her face. She was quick to cover it up.

Then it finally hit her.

"Hey, Mei-san, what _are_ you doing with Rokyuda-tan?"

"You and your weird naming system... Shokubutsu was just about got go a round with him. He wanted to fight Yuki, but Jin had come by and taken him. In exchange, he said that we can have those two fight instead."

"What!? Shobyun!?"

The two girls could see the guys turn towards them.

"Heh heh heh~ This I have to see. Shobyun refuses to let me see him fight unless it's against Neighbors."

"That's because you will harass him afterwards."

"I give him advice."

"Not advice."

"Whatever. I'm watching this."

Mei turned to eyes towards Shobu to see his response to this.

The boy had nothing to say. His expression was one of resignation.

Murakami and Tora seemed to just want to stay away from the Yagura Branch member.

"Very well. But try not to do anything that will cause me to throw another bench at you."

"You say that but... You're walking towards that same bench..."

"To put it back. I'm not just going to leave a mess around here."

"And what about that part of the wall?"

"..."

"Well?"

"We should go on. Those two need to get some practice in."

Nakagami rolled her eyes while following her fellow Operator.

Murakami decided to go along as well, keeping close to the two boys in case something were to happen.

.

With the group being two people larger, Mei had to note that they did seem odd. The grouping of five people seemed similar enough in personalities, yet different enough to not really been seen together too much.

There had been multiple times she walked with Murakami and Shobu, but having Tora and Nakagami there made it seem as if something ominous was going to happen. The two had never been seen around the other three, making the atmosphere around them all feel a bit odd.

Even so, she was not someone to care about the oddities around her. Kotowari Squad being a perfect example of that.

She did know that something like this did make Shobu feel uncomfortable, and Tora seemed to feel the same way, but it was pointless to say anything when they were already at their destination on.

 _I half expected Toby to run up to us right now..._

She have been spending too much time with her team when something like that came to mind when she took a step near the booths.

"The top level looks like it has some free ones open. We can use those instead of just waiting."

They all agreed with the Attacker and all walked up the stairs that lead to the upper level of booths.

"I'll stay with Rokuda. I'm guessing you are going with Tenryū, Senpai."

"Yeah. Yuki wanted me to see and help him out in whatever it was that he taught Shobu. Jon had come by and taken him away, so that's how this all started."

"I see. Understandable. But what could he want with Yuki?"

She lowered her head a bit.

Not many people knew about the assignment he had gotten. Only the directors, Akasora, Jin and Mei knew about it. The reason being, besides the directors giving the order and Akasora being his boss, Jin was able to see what would happen while Mei could calculate with future would be the more correct one, knowing Yuki.

She thought more about all of this while following Shobu and Nakagami towards the booth at the far end of the walkway.

It wasn't until she saw Shobu just about to transport in that she became focused on the fight.

She had been asked to help out however she could. In this case it was correcting anything that Shobu did wrong. That did not mean she would not help the opponent as well.

So, for now, she just had to watch the screen.

* * *

The setting had been at random, that way both fighters had a fair chance.

The area was a cityscape with low-roofed buildings and little open areas. Each street looked the same, yet it was hard to tell just how similar each one looked from the fact that the air was covered in a deep fog. The time of day had been set to nighttime with the moon being blocked out by the fog.

Even with the dense fog obstructing sight, Tora ran as if there was nothing there.

He looked around from right to left, left to right. Finding anything would be difficult for anyone. The only reason he ran so free was because he was running in a straight line and using a Trigger to try and find his opponent.

 _Bagworm... That's going to make it hard to find him._

With Bagworm on, there was no reason for him to use up his Trion with the Trigger. If he continued like this then he would be found out by the spike of Trion it would cause.

 _Even so, using Radar is enough._

Not knowing how his opponent fought, how they moved, or how they acted during a fight meant that he did not know how to properly counter attacks. Especially ones he could not see.

On the flip side, his opponent was in the same position as he was. Dense fog covered the area, lowering visibility, he didn't know how Tora moved, how he fought, or how he acted.

They were on similar grounds.

There was just one thing that offset the balance.

 _There it is!_

Tora had a Side Effect that helped him out, even in the fog.

Danger Sense, as its name implied, allowed him to tell if any danger was going towards him or was directed at him. Unlike Kageura's Side Effect, the actual attacker did not need to have any malice directed at him, they simply needed to attack him.

No matter where his opponent came from, or where their attacks came from, he would be able to tell that it was coming. He could prepare for the attack and figure out the best plan of action against it.

That was exactly what he was doing here.

One of his selling points was his speed. He would use that to move away from the attack a moment before it connected and produce a counterattack using the information he could get from said attack.

When the attack did come, there was something that he noticed.

Something he took note of.

 _He's almost as fast!_

 _._

In order to take out this target, Tenryū Shokubutsu had taken some extra measures. Instead of attacking them right away, he had waited for the right moment where the target would be ready for it to come.

But even so, this target seemed to know what he was doing by already shifting his feet on the ground. A preparation for the attack that had yet to reach him. It was clear that he was relying on his speed to dodge the attack here, leaving little room for any sort of mess up.

Even so, there was no problem. Without hesitation or mercy, Tenryū Shokubutsu made his first attack.

He had tried this attack once before on a B-Rank team after having been told to do so by a strange and sinister woman. It had been forced onto him by the devil of a woman who just to happened to be Yuki's older sister.

This time was different.

 _...This time "I" and "me"... ...So "I" can move "my" body better..._

He lowered his body and tightened his arms and legs. If they were a regular person then this would be considered a murder. The victim was a Border agent. A Border agent who was currently an enemy in the artificial night.

All of that was enough for him. This attack was a hidden one that would be made while their visibility was low. An attack using two Raygust and his natural speed. It was an attack that was meant to "kill" his opponent.

It was an attack that he been taught by Tsukiko Yuki.

And now, this attack - a "murder" - was going to happen while they were unaware.

Tenryū Shokubutsu had defeated multiple people - definitely.

Tenryū Shokubutsu possessed advanced knowledge on stealth tactics - definitely.

Tenryū Shokubutsu could be a shy person, or might be a psycho.

Even though "Tenryū Shokubutsu" felt more like a concert to people who knew him, Tenryū Shokubutsu was defined by his unnoticeable presence and overlooked personality.

He could become a different person. He could have a new identity. He could be happy, sad, indifferent, proactive, negative, psychotic, a blessing, a destroyer, an idiot, the best person even, the worst person ever - or even a hero.

There was only one thing that was known for certain about "Tenryū Shokubutsu."

"Tenryū Shokubutsu" could be written to be a "killer."

Yet he was written to just he Tenryū Shokubutsu. Yuki had made sure that, for this fight, he was Tenryū Shokubutsu and no one else.

The person's chest or head split open. The instant the attack connected, it ended any possible situations.

This was neither an attack by a justice-filled blade nor a series of consecutive attacks by a vengeance-filled blade - it was an attack for complete victory.

The victim defeated - they are dissected, they have their insides showing, they lose their Trion, and, _as a result_ , they are defeated.

First, an attack occurs, followed by defeat, and finally, the reason for it is drastically late in catching up; that's what makes it a truly terrifying attack. Counterattacking and resisting are all meaningless.

Tenryū Shokubutsu was certain of this.

He defeats the target. He definitely defeats his target. At the same time, he tried to take out everything in the target's body.

.

Tora moved over to the right as his opponent sped by him. His leg had been chipped at the knee, but he had managed to dodge the attack.

Yet he felt like the attack had completely hit him.

 _Wait..._

That was because it had indeed hit him.

Before he could register anything else after the initial attack, a blue plate had been placed behind him, as well as behind his opponent.

Using Grasshopper, both Tora and Shobu short forward and backwards respectively.

During the moment he had tried to figure out what was going on, Shobu had managed to cut his stomach open as well as his neck.

 _How did..._

Tora tried to register everything that happened within only second as Trion continued to leak from his leg, stomach and neck.

Once it all finally come, he saw the final attack come, cutting his head off completely.

The fight was over only moments after it had started.

The only ones who understood what happened were the ones watching and the one who had finished it.

* * *

Tora sat up with a start.

He felt the need to touch his neck and stomach, to make sure that they were not split open anymore.

When he was done with that he let out a small sigh.

"I guess that's to be expected. Most of us have yet to actually get out of that attack. Although this time was different. Tenryū is still inexperienced in using the attack. Especially when compared to Yuki."

"What happened? I kind of get it, but everything was..."

"Yeah. You normally wouldn't even have the chance to register that you are still in a fight when that attack comes."

Murakami pressed a button on the computer that connected to the booth that the other three were in.

"Tell me if I missed anything."

 _"Got it."_

"Right." Murakami nodded before turning back to Tora. "The attack uses speed as its basis. The fact that you are just as fast, if not faster, made it possible for you to dodge it in the first place. Combing natural and artificial speed, the person - in this case Tenryū - moves in with their natural speed and uses artificial speed to catch the target off guard before cutting them up."

"But I was sure that I dodged it. How did it still manage to hit me? I thought that only my leg had been cut."

"That's the difference in mental ability."

Tora tilted his head a bit.

He knew that, when compared to others, his fighting experience was below average. Everything that had happened to him before had caused him to gain power that he could use, but all that power went nothing if he did not know how to actually use it.

Even so, that was not what Murakami was talking about. He was not talking about experience and instead was talking about actually thoughts.

Now Tora would not say he was dumb, but he was sure that he could think on equal footing to Shobu. If their previous interaction was anything to go by.

"Hey, Tenryū, is it fine to tell him?"

 _"..."_

 _"He's nodding his head."_

Murakami nodded his own head before continuing to speak.

"Tenryū has an a good amount mental control, yet none at all. But that last part is neither here nor there, so I won't talk about it," he said while dismissively waving a hand. "He can perceive certain moments in slow motion, giving him a better understanding of things around him. His mind processes things much faster than normal, so he made a choice of putting Grasshopper plates behind the both of you so that he could make the attack connect."

It was easy enough to understand, yet also a bit difficult to believe.

The proof was there, so Tora knew he could not deny any of it. What was more, Murakami seemed to know Shobu more than he did, so he had no room to say anything against what was being said.

Even so, there was something bugging him.

"What about my Danger Sense? I didn't feel anything from the second attack. Or are you going to say that it was too fast for me to actually feel the danger coming at me?"

Murakami shrugged his shoulders.

"That could be it. But if I had to guess..."

Tora watched as Murakami showed the single attack fight on the screen.

"Grasshopper is a supportive Trigger, not an offensive one. Since it's not an attack, you didn't register it as an attack, meaning you were in no danger. What else, all it did was push you forward. Maybe your Side Effect couldn't tell you quick enough since you 'ran into the danger' instead of 'being in danger'. By the time the attack had finished you were out of danger due to already getting hit by it."

"What kind of attack..."

"It's best not to think about it. The creator of the attack is kind of a lunatic who just wanted to finish a fight quickly. It's best you stay away from him."

Tora could only give a small nod, all the while wondering who thought of an attack like that.

* * *

Mei, having just finished listening to Murakami's lesson as well as explain to Shobu how he could improve, watched as the young boy walked up to the computer and spoke in a small voice.

"...Would you...like to...have another...fight...?"

She could not help the small smile that appeared at having just seen the shy boy ask if he could have another fight.

It would have been nice if he had not asked for a fight and instead something else, but she would not be picky. This was enough for her.

From the corner of her eye she could see Nakagami sliding towards her while covering her mouth.

"Hey, Mei-san, why would Yuki-senpai teach him that kind of move? From what I see, Shobyun isn't the type who should have something like that in his arsenal. What if Kushi-chan tries to 'rewrite' him? She told me that she actually did that the other day."

"Thanks for letting me know. I'll make sure to throw something at her later, as well as inform Sensei."

Nakagami shrugged at that part.

"But it's because he wants Shokubutsu to be Shokubutsu, not someone else. That fact he can be 'rewritten' is bad, but that's why Yuki ks trying to fix that. He probably thinks that this will help in some way."

"But it always give me the feeling of a murderer. Doesn't that go against what you are saying? Hey, Mei-san, are you sure we should let this go on?"

Mei gave a sideways glance at Nakagami while Shobu went back in for another fight.

She let out a small sigh who,e watching the screen.

"I'm sorry."

"Huh!? Hey, Mei-san, where did that come from!? It's kinda creepy."

 _I misjudged her. Actually, I didn't. I just didn't know she cared this much about others. I figured she thought like that evil woman._

Mei smiled a bit while lightly patting Nakagami on the head.

Nakagami gave a strange look but said nothing.

The two just went back to watching the screen without a word.

This was fine enough.

* * *

QOTC: How would you describe your personality?


End file.
